This has been a strange year for vintners, both here in the East and on the West Coast. We remember a winter of record snows, but local winemakers recall a quick warm-up that brought summer-like temperatures in early April, leading the vines to bud earlier than usual. Record-setting heat through the summer kept the grapes ripening rapidly, sending sugar levels upward. The accelerated ripening created two worries: that grapes might ripen unevenly, leading to unbalanced wines, and that various grape varieties might ripen all at once instead of in succession over several weeks, putting extra pressure on winery capacities and personnel.