(Wines&Vines) - In the past few days, the national news has been full of stories about heavy rains and flooding in Texas. While vineyards are usually planted on higher elevations, the rain has impacted both vineyards and wineries. “It’s crazy,” Ed Hellman, professor of viticulture at Texas Tech University and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension told Wines & Vines. “We’ve gone from extreme drought to flooding. Across the state, we’re way above normal rainfall. The High Plains, especially, have seen more rainfall.”

John Rivenburgh, director of winery and vineyard management at Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, Texas, reported that their vineyards in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin received 13 inches of rain in 12 hours on May 23. According to Rivenburgh, roads and bridges are out, ranchers have lost fences, and there’s mud everywhere. May 26, however, was a beautiful, partly cloudy day with temperatures reaching 86° F. “We’re managing what Mother Nature gives us,” he said. “We have good grass cover in the vineyards, so we can get in to spray, and we haven’t had any damage yet. We’re not irrigating so far, and we may not have to.”

The Hill Country has had a mild spring with no spring frosts and moderate temperatures, but more rain is in the forecast. “We could have used a little less water,” Rivenburgh commented, “and the disease pressure is out there. But the grapegrowing year has been really good so far.”

Bret Perrenoud, vineyard manager at Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, Texas, west of Austin, echoed Rivenburgh’s assessment of the potential for the 2015 grape harvest. “I’ll take rain over three years of drought,” he told Wines & Vines. “We should have a banner crop as long as the rain cooperates. The silver lining is that we had no spring frosts. We added two sprays, and so far, everything in the vineyard is clean. With grass on the vineyard floor, we can get into the vineyard to spray two days after it rains.” If the region can dodge hailstorms, windstorms and sandstorms, he thinks the 2015 year should be a good vintage.