Water drops form on a vine as the rain continues falling at V. Sattui Winery in Saint Helena, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Viticulturist Prudy Foxx checks on Cabernet Sauvignon vines growing at Green Earth Zayante Vineyards in Felton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
As Prudy Foxx walked through rows of ripening fruit at several vineyards nestled among the Santa Cruz Mountains last September, she cringed at the spindly shoots rising from the stocky grapevine trunks.
“I was looking at the canes going into winter, and many of them were a little thin for