We had a mild spring, which makes life pleasant for farmers and grapevines.  Cover crops grew thick and luscious; the cool weather allowed them to build a lot of biomass before flowering.  As they are incorporated into the soil they add rich organic matter.  Mild weather is also good for the flowering of the vines.  Grape flowers are very delicate and extreme weather in either direction can affect the vines’ ability to set a good crop of fruit.  Grape flowers are also very fragrant, an ambrosia of delight!  Sweet, almost tropical scents of grape flowers have been wafting through the fields.  Most varieties now have set clusters but the Cabernet is taking its time and looks to be setting a good crop.

The rains this season were late and far apart which made for good vineyard working conditions throughout the winter and early spring, with fields not too wet and muddy.  Frost season was also mild this year, so workers got enough rest to work through the days.  This allowed the vineyard crew to get a head start on cultivation and weed control and to stay on schedule despite extra work on fencing, irrigation and frost systems that needed repair after the fires last fall.  A new frost pump was installed at the Easterbrook vineyard and as summer heats up work is underway to replace destroyed drip and filters.

Until bud break this spring it was hard to tell exactly how many vines had burned last fall.  Now that leaves and shoots are out we finalized our dead-vine count at around 7 acres.  Vines that didn’t die are doing fine with expected vigor and timing.  We will be working on replacing dead vines as the season progresses.

Ground is being prepared for new plantings of Cabernet and Chardonnay at our Road D vineyard.  There are many steps to be completed before the young vines can be put into the ground.  Soil is ripped and disked, then smoothed.  Next, the irrigation system is laid out for both summer watering (to help the young vines) and spring frost protection.  The grid of the vineyard is laid out by hand using cables marked with spacers, then stakes are set.  Wires are installed to hang the drip hose and train the young vines as they reach their established height.  Finally, the watering system is completed and the vines can be planted.  After they are established it will be 3 years before any grapes are harvested.  During their productive life they need much less watering.

Chardonnay for this planting will be grown from cuttings made this winter.  Cuttings are a form of vegetative propagation, a technique used by humankind to cultivate grapes for thousands of years.  While the vines are dormant, healthy wood that grew the previous season is selected and cut to about 18”.  The pieces are chosen based on girth, vigor of the parent plant and bud spacing.  Two buds are left at the tip of each cutting and the rest are removed, which encourages the cutting to root at the bottom. These cuttings are bundled and buried in moist sand.  

These vines will be on their “own roots” as opposed to being grafted onto a rootstock.  Own-rooted vineyards are uncommon due to the risk of damage by pheloxera, a soil-borne louse that can kill grapevines when populations in the soil are out of balance.  We don’t worry about this in our organic soils as we have plenty of healthy soil microbiology that will compete with phyloxera and keep it from causing damage.  We will begin planting soon.  The cuttings were stored in a cool dark place for the last several months and are now pushing roots and shoots, eager to get planted.

As springtime rolls into summertime, we are busy!  We are looking forward to a summer of good ripening weather and a harvest without the challenges of smoky grapes and disruption form natural disasters.  Keep your fingers crossed for us.  Cheers from the crew!