Many people make decisions that affect the life of a vineyard, but Mother Nature is still the one with a thousand votes.

That was the consensus of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, who hosted a Monday meeting with the press to discuss the 2007 growing season and offer predictions for the upcoming harvest. The unusually chilly weather and overcast skies on an August morning at Vine Hill Ranch in Yountville reinforced this view.

“I had told everyone to bring sun hats,” said Jennifer Kopp, executive director of the grapegrowers. Both reporters and growers brought their fleece jackets instead.

The news on the growing year to date, however, was sunny.

“It’s a beautiful year, a really exquisite one,” said grower Lee  Hudson. “It’s the kind you wish for. The vines are as good as I’ve ever seen them. I’m going to stick my neck out and say we’re going to have as good a harvest as we’ve had in 100 years.”

Earlier this year, growers were anticipating an early harvest, a heavy crop and intense water needs, but these concerns have balanced out over the summer. With the low rainfall in winter and spring, growers were estimating widespread irrigation, posing potential problems for growers with low reserves. Yet the relatively mild weather has meant that water needs, for the most part, are lower.

So far there have been none of the dramatic events like last year’s heat spikes that saw temperatures reach as high as 113 degrees in some parts of the valley.

Grower Jon Ruel noted that so far there have been only five days with temperatures higher than 100 degrees, but these came with high humidity, which is easier on grapes than dry heat. “The cooler season results in a smaller canopy,” he said. “We’re not needing as much water to keep going.”

Worries about low water levels were balanced out by other advantages. “The lower rainfall allowed us to control the growth,” Stan Zervas, a co-owner of Silverado Farming Company. “We didn’t have to deal with the rampant growth (of 2006).”

“We’re excited about this year, “said Hal Huffman, who grows grapes for Trinchero Family estates. “It’s been a relatively simple growing season. It’s been a mild and pleasant summer.”

“One of the interesting things abut this growing season is the way it started,” said Mike Wolf, owner of Michael Wolf Vineyard Services. “Lack of rain meant the soil warmed up and dried up early and the plants took advantage of this. … This year there’s a nice sense of control. It seemed like harvest would be early, but things are slowing down. We’re in a position to take advantage of what nature has given us.

“The guiding principal,” he added, “is don’t screw up.”

Several growers discussed problems this year with “set,” the stage of development when the flowers that have been pollinated begin to develop into berries.

Overall, however, they predict the size of the 2007 yield will be about average. Harvest, set to begin next week in vineyards growing crops for sparkling wines, is also shaping up to be on an average schedule compared to last year’s early harvest. “If we continue with this cool weather, it could slow things down,” Huffman said.

Growers predict harvest will continue through November for red grapes in the mountain vineyards. “If we can get through November without rain, we’ll be doing good,” Huffman said.

“This has been the driest year I can remember,” said Beckstoffer, who has been farming in the valley for 10 years. “You’d have to go back a ways to find a drier one. If we have another dry year that could be a cause for concern. Next year if we have the same weather patterns we’ll all be here talking about water.”

Another key issue all the growers addressed is the changing relationship with farmworkers, whose value is increasingly acknowledged. For these growers, who define their work as wine growing, the goal is to produce “ultra-premium” fruit. Farming methods have changed dramatically since the 1980s, said Hudson, who farms 180 acres in the Carneros region. “The work we do is completely different,” said Hudson, who estimates they now spend about 250 hours a year per acre in the vineyards, compared to an average of 40 hours an acre in the ’80s.

“You need to have people who know what they’re doing and care about it,” Hudson said.

One solution is competitive pay — the average wage is $14 an hour for farmworkers, with an increasing pay scale for those who take on supervisorial roles, said Jennifer Kopp, executive director of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. Zervas said they’re also adding education programs and other benefits for their workers. “We’re spending time and money on education,” he said. “We want to pay competitively but also increase education and involvement.”

Growers are cautiously predicting that 2007 could be a year of exceptional quality. The berries are smaller than usual, which results in more concentrated flavors and higher tannins. “It has winemakers dancing in the streets,” said grower David Beckstoffer.

As long as Mother Nature agrees.