Dry weather impacts grape crop for Bladen County vineyard

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — From one year with too much rain, to the next with not enough, one vineyard has taken a hit.

The president of Lu Mil Vineyard says the dry weather this season impacted it grape crop.

“You’ve got to be at the mercy of Mother Nature with the weather,” Lu Mil Vineyard President Ron Taylor said. “The dry weather this year has really caused havoc with us.”

With no grapes, there’s no wine.

“The muscadines themselves, they love the hot, humid weather, but they still need water to make their roots grow, and to produce the fruit, and to make the fruit sweet,” he said.

With 78 acres of muscadine grapes, Taylor says they shoot to make seven to eight tons of grapes per acre.

Taylor says this season was average. He says they brought in around five or six tons.

But in comparison to last year’s crop, Taylor is grateful for what they did make.

“Like the good book says, you have at least one good crop out of seven years,” he said. “Last year was about a total loss. It was one of those years that you don’t like to talk about because it was so bad. This year was a blessing compared to last year.”

Taylor says six tons of grapes per acre is still around 12,000 of grapes.

He says they picked most of them in September and are already getting ready for next season.