The word for the Texas High Plains for 2023 was “Hail.” Two late hailstorms wreaked havoc on some of the vineyard blocks resulting in a zero harvest. Many of our growers’ vineyards now use hail netting, which worked well in locations where netted. The hail was also geographically inconsistent. Some fields were hit hard, while others were hardly touched. While the High Plains also experienced high temperatures, they received a few cool fronts late in the growing season, which prolonged hang time and created a 2 to 3 week gap between most of the white and red varietals being harvested. However, the fruit quality from this year’s harvest is the best we have seen in quite a while, and most vineyards experienced solid, yet managed, yields.