Winemaker prepares vineyards for Hurricane Earl

At Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue, the staff Thursday was working round the clock, scrambling to spray grapevines to protect against damage from the winds and rain spawned by Hurricane Earl.

"I woke up this morning at 4 o'clock and couldn't get back to sleep," owner Charles Massoud said, admitting to anxiety and an effort to remain optimistic. "But the reality is, we are concerned but at the same time hopeful."

Because of this summer's consistent heat, abundant sunshine and lack of rainfall - a combination that created ideal conditions for growing and ripening grapes - winemakers at Long Island's 59 vineyards have been hoping 2010 would be a banner year for their crops.

At Paumanok Vineyards the sublime conditions meant harvesting from about 72,000 vines across 72 acres began last week, three weeks ahead of schedule. Massoud said the fungicide spray is intended to prevent the grapes from rotting, and workers will spray again after the storm if necessary. But strong winds were a bigger concern than the rain, as that could "wreak havoc" with the vines, the oldest of which date back 26 years, he said.

Marco Borghese, co-owner of Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery in Cutchogue, was taking a wait-and-see approach.

"We are very nervous, but what can we do?" he said, adding that workers at the vineyard will wait until it stops raining before spraying their vines. "If it wasn't for the storm, we would probably be harvesting on Friday, but we are delaying that because we can't harvest in the rain."

Borghese recalled that in 2005, "when it rained for 10 or 12 days, that was really a disaster for us."

But with Earl a fast-moving storm, the wind and rain is forecast to pass in hours.

"I don't think the winds will be such that we'll have a very damaging situation," he said, "and as far as the amount of water, we'll probably harvest the next day so the water doesn't have time to go down to the roots.

"We are not rushing to do anything. This storm will be very intense and very short, from what I understand."

At Pugliese Vineyards in Cutchogue, where an early harvest also had been expected because of the optimal growing conditions, no one was available for an interview Thursday. A woman who answered the phone there said that in anticipation of Earl's passing and the storm's effects, all hands were endeavoring to harvest the pinot grigio and chardonnay grapes.