Berry shrivel affects between 5 to 10 percent of Washington’s grape crop, according to a recent Washington State University survey. Questions about the disorder were included in a Washington grape industry irrigation survey conducted last year by Dr. Mercy Olmstead, WSU Extension viticulture specialist. Respondents represented 12,000 acres of wine grapes and 700 acres of juice grapes. “It’s enough of an issue that some growers are cutting out shriveled berries from clusters before harvest to keep the inferior fruit from contaminating the rest of the crop,” she said. “The shriveled berries contain a huge amount of malate. They’re gross. The […]