Survivor Wino's Edition: Episode I: Installing The Trellis System

There is a code of honor among wineries to assist your neighbors with their crush if you’re finished and they’re not. You’d think there would be competition but the best winemaking regions are those where there is cooperation. So when your neighbor puts out the call for help to install her vineyard, you go. That’s just what you do. (And that’s just the way we’d like to keep it in Blue-Merle Country, thank you.)

Jeff from Fallbrook (a little country town 20 miles up the road) put out the call and we went, joined by the Vineyard Management Class taught by Peter Anderson and Jim Hart who teach vineyard management and winemaking at Mira Costa Community College. This was a so-called “lab” for the “college students” but by the end of it when Jeff generously brought out his 2005, 2006, 2007 Brunellos for a little side-by-side tasting it was beginning to feel like Spring Break and "Survivor: Vineyard Edition for Winos" and I wasn’t feeling much like writing a lab report. Pete probably knows more about viticulture than anyone else in San Diego and Jim is a member of the Hart Family which owns Hart Family Winery in Temecula. Jim is also the Cellar Master for the up and coming Milagro Farm Vineyards & Winery in Ramona, a 100-acre estate worth the trip.

This is what I remember from the “Spring Break” excursion as my notebook only contains 20 words. (I did take 20 pictures, but the video is still in editing as we negotiate the broadcast rights and royalties with CBS for our inaugural season).

There’s more than one way to plant a vineyard. When you ask Pete about what’s the best way to do this? and what’s the best way to do that? his answer is predictably, “It depends.” (We kid him about that answer.) Jeff planted the first part of his vineyard 3 years ago and he’s on 4^th leaf and he’s got his first estate wine stored in a breathable “flex tank” in his winery. He’s used rebar metal poles to stake the vines. (I’ve seen that at some other vineyards. Rebar is strong and works well.) He’s used different kinds of end posts. Some are metal. Some are thick wood (with wire hole bored through the wood). He’s decided to install his posts straight (I suspect he may need anchors in the future.) We will be adding another 8 rows on 1/8^th acre. He’s decided on 8 ft. row spacing on two rows and 6ft. row spacing on the remainder. (If I were planting a home vineyard I would make my row spacing wider than 6ft.) We take turns using a handheld, gas-powered auger to drill straight down 2ft. (If it were my place, I would have drilled in at an angle and tried to go 3 ft., manually digging out the last foot.)

The poles were set by adding gravel and water and tamping dirt back in. No concrete was used. This saved money and Jeff said the clay will set hard. (I have seen several poles at Coyote Karen’s put in straight bend already after three years. At the Blue-Merle we used two bags of concrete per post.) After setting the posts, the team measured out the location for metal guide posts. These were forced into the ground with a “post pounder” by the tall team members. The metal stakes Jeff used were narrow enough so the post pounder fit. (Ours stakes were wider and we couldn’t use the post pounder. When we started to drive our metal stakes into the ground with a sledge hammer, the tops bent. So, we spent much [wasted?] time digging holes for the metal posts at our place.) This was “Habitat for Humanity for Winos” and “Survivor for Winos” rolled into one morning session. Instant vineyard.

We had made much progress and next the team took on irrigation. We dug by shovel a trench 18” deep for the schedule 40 PVC pipe. The pipe cutter didn’t function properly, so one member of the team had an ingenious suggestion: he took a piece of nylon; tied it to two small pieces of pipe which he took in his hand; placed the nylon under the pipe and started pulling, slowly at first, and then once it caught, more rapidly, back and forth as if he were building a fire from sticks. He cut right through the pipe with an elegant Hawaiian cross-over maneuver at the end and I knew I was going to vote to keep him on the vineyard. The rest of us wanted to give that a try so we took turns cutting the pipe and gluing in the T’s and then plugging manifold hose into the T’s which would then be connected to drip line. (I liked the way Jeff used the manifold hose – we spent much [wasted?] time fashioning pressure regulators and cut off valves on each row – the advantage: even pressure at each row and ability to cut off water at each row.)

Just before noon, our work finished for the day, Jeff took us on a tour of his winery and I was impressed and inspired. He had set up a place beneath his house that was wonderful. He had installed a cooling unit (it gets hot in Fallbrook, CA in the summer!) and wine racks to store bottles. He grabbed one of the eight remaining bottles of the first wine he had ever made and we went upstairs for a taste. Everyone had worked hard and earned immunity and deserved a sip of Jeff’s labor. With Jeff sharing his wine so generously he earned my vote to keep him on the show for another week. The survivors will gather again at Jeff’s place this Saturday to plant the vines and finish the job and hold their tribal council. Tune in next week to see what happens and to take the Wino's Survivor Quiz to see if you've got what it takes to appear in a future episode.

New Year: New Vineyard

The New Year is underway and so is our work installing a new trellis system, Phase II of the Blue-Merle Vineyard Master Plan. What better time to catalog this work step-by-step for those of you considering planting your own vineyard this year. We've decided to increase our plantings of Grenache, Aglianico and Petite Sirah, and to fill in some significant gaps in the vineyard landscape. We will be planting an additional 190 vines, bringing out total to well over 1,000 vines. Many of our rows are wide (16 ft.) -- which means we could increase the density of our plantings. But let's face it. This is supposed to be a hobby, not a profession. This will be enough. At least until next year.

Here's a check list for those of you wanting to get started. Like most things in life, there are more than 100 ways to skin this cat. So don't take my words as a must-do manual; this is what worked for us. (Be sure and share with us what worked for you!)

Develop a master landscape plan for your property.

Design your vineyard, either making a sketch by hand, or using a computer program such as SmartDraw. Remember, "vineyard is art." Keep this motto in mind as you design and install the vineyard. Follow the contour of the land. (At first, I had a notion that rows were supposed to be North - South. That would have been a mistake on our hillside, so we followed the land.) Read books on the topic, such as Vineyard Simple and from Vines to Wine.

Consult with a local vineyard expert as necessary and as desired. Decide how much of the work you want to do yourself, and how much assistance you require. In the San Diego area, there are consultants who will implement your vision for you. The going rate is approximately $40/vine, including the trellis system, irrigation, vines and planting. (Of course the final cost will depend on terrain -- and how many unexpected obstacles confront you -- such as a humongous 3,000 lbs. rock directly under a spot where you want to dig a post hole!) Another good reason for consulting with an expert is you may need help down the road maintaining the vineyard (mildew control, Pierce's Disease prevention, etc. -- hey, I never said this was going to be easy, but, you can do it.)

Prepare your land. Are you able to plow or till your land? Do you need to add any nutrients? (As we are on a steep hillside, there was little we could do in this regard.)

Stake out your vineyard design, using stakes, string and measuring tape. The string really helps you visualize the location of rows, and the spacing. (Also use the string to line up your end posts when you get to that step).

Ready to get started? If you're ready, and you'll be hiring labor, you'll save yourself a bunch of money by having everything staged and organized in advance. So plan, and have everything ready:

Dig your post holes. For digging, your choices are by hand with a post digger, with a handheld auger (which rent for about $50/day at Home Depot) or the auger of a professional drill (such as that provided by a BobCat). Note: You would be smart to start digging at the "cornerstone" to set the first post. Then, go to the end of your planned rows, and set that post. With those two posts set, use string to define the line by which to perfectly line up your other posts. As you will be looking at your vineyard everyday, the time spent in lining up your rows correctly is well worth it! We used 10 ft. poles when we installed over 30 rows last year. This year we purchased some smaller 8ft poles for some of the short rows we're installing. Believe me, the 8ft poles are a lot easier to work with and to carry around! (Discuss with your consultant what poles are appropriate for you.) The depth of your holes will depend on your poles and your digging method. When we used the BobCat auger, we went about 4 ft. deep. When digging by hand, we try to go at least 3 ft. At a minimum, we went 2.5 deep in some places. Remember to angle the hole, so the post will be at an angle (and be able to accommodate more weight and tension when the wires are tightened).

Set the posts. There are a number of different ways to do this. One is to insert the post, then maybe add back some dirt, compacting it (with a "compactor"). Use a level, to make sure the post is "straight." If you "eyeball" it, I guarantee you will be redoing some posts. Once "level" (straight) add cement. I prefer to mix the cement in a wheel barrow -- then add it. We found that 2 @ 60 lbs. bags for each post was right for us. Others might only use one bag and refill the rest of the hole with dirt then compact it. Another technique would be to pour dry cement down the hole, then add water, and stir (but like I said, I prefer whenever possible to do the mixing first in the wheelbarrow, then pour). After setting the post, you may make a "brace" to keep it in place. After the concrete is dry, the post should be extremely stiff, and not budge when you push it at all. (When setting a few posts over the Christmas holiday, I tried to take a short cut and see if I could get away with a hole 2 ft. deep and one bag of concrete. This was a total failure, and we had to redo those three posts the next day.)

7) Align the posts. Use string.

This is a good place to take a rest. In the next post, we'll talk about irrigation, installing the drip system, and stringing and tightening the wire. Click here if you want to see highlights how we installed the vineyard at the Blue Merle last year.

(February 28, 2008) -- The trellis system is in. The drip lines are in. We've got gophers and weeds to deal with. We'll use an auger to start digging the holes this weekend. Nova Vines is shipping the vines out next week. We'll plant those babies in 9 more days. We were able to up the shipment to 235 vines, including an extra 25 Tempranillo, bringing the total to 1,085. We also finished pruning the first year vines. More about that later. The gophers are attacking. Need to get an owl. Just warmed up this week; the snakes must be thawing out, so need to keep an eye on them. Bluey's paw getting better -- seems to be non cancerous. He must have pricked it on a bougainvillea while digging.