CALDWELL, Idaho – These days, their business name reads Williamson Orchards and Vineyards. In a decade, it might be more appropriate for the family to change it to Williamson Vineyards and Orchards.
Just 15 years ago, that would have been unimaginable for this family that began farming on the Sunnyslope region of Idaho’s Snake River Valley in 1909.
“We’re at the ground level of the Idaho wine industry exploding,” said Beverly Williamson, who operates the multi-generation business with her brother Mike and cousin Patrick. “As a family, we sat down and wondered, ‘Why don’t we start shifting from 90 percent tree fruit and 10 percent wine grapes to 60 percent wine grapes and 40 percent tree fruit?’ That was kind of hard for our dads to grasp.”
Most of the varietals are done with veration, which is when the berries change from green to red or translucent green. We are starting to collect berry samples to measure the sugars in the grapes. This measurement will help determine when harvesting can begin, possibly the first or second week in September; of course, the weather will also be a factor. We’re also starting some crop thinning to ensure the grapes will have more concentrated characteristics and removing the secondary crop that has begun to grow and will not ripen in time for harvest.