Premium grape growers and the makers of high-end wines have joined Michael Jordan fans in debating "hang time."

But this hang time is a matter of how long grapes should be left on the vine.

Some winemakers want the grapes picked late to boost sugar content and maximize flavor. But growers say that cuts into their per-ton profits because grapes lose moisture - and thus weight - as they ripen.

"There's a lot of controversy about this," said Andy Beckstoffer, a major Napa Valley grower. Beckstoffer recently organized a seminar on hang time that drew more than 500 people.

How big a controversy hang time is in the premium wine country of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties is in dispute.

"I haven't heard that it has been an issue here," said Jim Fiolek of Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association. "There is a very good relationship on the Central Coast between growers and vintners."

However, Jeff Newton at Coastal Vineyard Care Associates in Santa Ynez, disagrees.

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Area growers and winemakers have been following the issue and are very aware of Beckstoffer's seminar, Newton said

"Hang time is an issue here," he said. "More and more winemakers ask us to hang the fruit out longer (so) ... that the fruit is allowed to get very ripe - on the order of 26 to 28 percent sugar (content).

"That means the fruit will have to hang out there for a longer period of time."

But loss of grape weight is only one matter.

"There might be issues of shortening the lifespan of vineyards by stressing the vines every year," said Jeff Frey of Frey Farming in Santa Maria. "There is more stress with the grapes on the vines longer. You need to give the vines time to recuperate for the next year.

"There is no time to recuperate the longer the grapes are on the vine."

Newton added to that concern.

"By hanging ... for the longer period of time, there will be less time after the harvest to accumulate carbohydrates in the vine for next year's growth," he said. "They wouldn't be as strong the next year with less carbohydrates."

As the vines accumulate less and less carbohydrates year-to-year, yields may decline each season, Frey said.

"We don't have all the answers ... there's not enough data," he said. "We're looking into this to see if ... we loose yield.

"We feel we should be compensated for that. (But) we're trying to sell our grapes and the customer is always right."

Lighter fruit

The issue of hang time, also known as extended ripening, has been around for at least five years, but the past year has brought increased attention, according to Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers in Sacramento.

Reasons include the early and unusually warm 2004 harvest. As grapes hang in the heat, sugar levels rise and water evaporates, making the fruit lighter, which is key since grapes are sold by weight.

Beckstoffer has compared grapes picked when sugar levels were about 24 percent and 28 percent, and found the late-picked bunches weighed as much as a fourth less. With a ton of Napa cabernet sauvignon grapes averaging $4,000, that could add up, he said.

"It's the difference between profitability and a major loss," Beckstoffer said.

Growers are concerned that picking grapes later may mean more wear and tear on the vine, reducing yield and forcing more replantings - a big expense.

Experts say there hasn't been enough study done to support that contention, but it's possible that a late harvest combined with other practices designed to produce higher quality fruit is taking a toll on the vines.

"The issue that I see of interest is, What does the concept of hang time do to a vine and its long-term viability," Fiolek said. "We don't know if there is an impact long-term on the vine."

Vines can produce for 30 years but if hang time is stretched it might harm the vine, he said.

"I think the discussion is good," Fiolek said.

But Newton doesn't see a peril to the vines from longer hang time.

"Two U.C. (University of California) people said they really doubted there would be injury to the vine," he said. "Damage to the vines is a non-issue."

Sugar content

And Newton has an answer for the loss of weight due to hang time.

"There's a simple solution," he said. "Go to a by-the-acre contract and not sell by-the-ton.

"That allows the winemaker to hangout the fruit but also protects the grower against the loss of fruit weight.

"The high quality winemakers want a long hang time and make expensive wine. Lower yields are of interest to them with higher quality.

"Either charge more money per ton or go to by-the-acre contract. We have a lot of by-the-acre contracts. It doesn't matter if you lose weight if you sell by the acre.

"Everyone knows in advance what they will pay and what they will receive based on acreage. You can adjust the acre rate every year based on the Consumer Price index."

By-the-acre sounded good to Frey, who called it a win-win situation for both growers and vintners, as long as the price can be computed.

"The grapes are more at risk of rain with a longer hang time," he said. "(With by-the-acre) the winery assumes the risk for a longer hang time."

For winemakers pursuing longer hang time, the goal is getting grapes with the concentrated fruit flavors popular with premium wine buyers and critics.

"We just feel that the longer the grape is on the vine, the riper the tannins (astringent components in the skin, seeds and stems) become and the wines are softer and more lush and smooth," said Paul Dolan, president of the Mendocino Wine Co..

Dolan doesn't advocate picking much above 25 percent sugar, but he believes winemakers who do probably should pay a premium for the lighter grapes.

The Winegrape Growers Association has asked a consultant to see if contract prices should be adjusted for the later harvests or if there's a way to achieve high-flavor fruit without long hang times.

* The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kent Miller can be reached at 739-2221 or by e-mail at kentmiller

@pulitzer.net.

Feb. 20, 2005