Here’s the latest happenings from the vineyard, our work in the community, and around the world. If you’d like to keep up-to-date, in addition to posting here we also try to send out a newsletter every month. You can sign up on our newsletter and we’ll keep in touch.
More Pruning!
March 14th, 2009Well the weather ha been great the past week, and we are pruning like crazy. The vines are beginning to show signs of budbreak, swelling, whitening. Just before they open, they take on a “popcorn’ appearance. If we are not done by then, we’re in trouble. I figure we have 2 weeks left. We are down to the last 10 rows, but at 60 vines per row, 2 minutes per vine, that works out to 20 hours of pruning. After the actual pruning, we have to tie the canes to the fruiting wire. This goes pretty quickly. Last season we discovered a nifty little tool that uses a twist-tie like product. Very light, it degrades after 1 season (the tie, not the tool). The beauty is that with one squeeze, it twists and cuts the tie. We have tried a couple of diferent products. Plastic, jute, and I can’t tell you how tired my fingers get after tying knots for 4 hours.
Bees in the Clover
March 12th, 2009This year we tried planting rose clover as part of our cover crop mix; in March this year the clover is blooming and the bees are all over it.
Pruning Camp
March 8th, 2009Pruning is so much fun that we want to share it with folks who are interested in learning. Spend a morning with us in the vineyard. We will talk about the basics of viticulture, the lifecycle of the vine, how the environment, farming practices, and pruning techniques affect the quality and quantity of grapes. We will guide you through the pruning process and then turn you loose to clip a few vines on your own. The morning in the vineyard will be followed by a hearty country style lunch of local gourmet foods and, of course, a selection of Emtu wines.
The cost is $65.00 per person, and group size is limited to 6. Call us for a reservation
March in the Vineyard
March 4th, 2009Well, it’s March, and that means pruning time in the vineyard. We cane prune our vines, and that means that each vine has to be evaluated for strength, vigor, and capacity to determine just how many buds can bear fruit. Every year it is a little different. Although each vine only takes a couple of minutes to prune, you have to multiply it by 3600 vines! That adds up to somewhere around 120 hours of clipping. . With budbreak coming by April, it means that we have to get it done rain or shine. Since March is our rainy month, it makes for more than a few days out in the vineyard in rain coats and rubber boots wondering , just how long till that next cup of hot chocolate.