Walking among rows of green, picturesque vines, Tom Higgins of Heart & Hands Wine Company in Cayuga County pointed to a densely-packed cluster of pinot noir grapes. That density is typical for pinot noir, but this year, the cluster is even more crowded, which has implications for the last month or so of the growing season. "When a cluster is nice and compact like this, rains in the latter part of the growing season are the curse of the winegrower," Higgins said. "It’s just not a good time to see rain." Any showers this weekend should be okay, but in about 10 days, Higgins will be praying for dry skies. Here’s why: rainfall in June was way less than in a typical year. That means the skins of the grapes didn’t stretch out and now, they’re not very "elastic." Add in the fact that the bunches are tighter than normal, and a quick drenching could swell the grapes and lead to splitting or bursting. Denser clusters are also more susceptible to fungi, because there isn't as much space for
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