Just a few vintages ago, Oregon's winemakers and vineyard managers routinely pronounced September's weather as key to whether the year's wines would go down as great, good or best used for cooking. Meteorologically speaking, things have changed and not necessarily for the better -- at least, not for the faint of heart. "Last year was my latest ever in 25 harvests in Oregon," said Joe Dobbes, owner of Dobbes Family Estate in Dundee. "This year, we're behind even that. Now we are looking at the first few weeks in October as being pivotal."