(Wines&Vines) - Three inches of rain that fell across the northern Willamette Valley this past weekend has largely put the brakes on the 2017 wine grape harvest, leaving winemakers to juggle the final influx of fruit while some growers scramble to salvage what grapes are left and find a buyer for them.

“I’ve received phone calls from people with excess fruit trying to find a home,” said Gary Horner, winemaker at Erath Winery in Dundee, which draws grapes from 1,500 acres in Oregon. Many are willing to accept the best offer, he explained, just to get the fruit off their hands.