Crimes & Misdemeanors In The Vineyard

Cane cut too short.

A log of recent crimes & misdemeanors committed in the vineyard:

CRIMES
* Severely cutting some canes with fruit to one or two leaves before netting. (How will that fruit ripen?)
* Vacuuming vineyard and raking it spotless clean while purple clusters remain unprotected. (Is it more important having a pretty vineyard or saving the grapes? Priorities, please!)
* Leaving hard green clusters on the vine. (They will not ripen in time and might lower overall quality of the wine.)
* Leaving pulled green grapes on the ground where they will dry and the dog will eat them, possibly making him ill. (Queen to husband: "Would you mind picking up those grapes and your cuttings!" She doesn't know how to swear in English, so she finishes that kind of request with an "aho" (which means stupid or fool in Japanese).
* Under watering three rows of Aglianico vines. (Fruit has withered on the vine or did not form at all.)
* Mowing down a row of Grenache vines, cutting them to 1/2 the length they were meant to be. (You think all vines need to be cut before a net goes over them, well they don't.)
* Bending canes to shorten them, snapping them or damaging them.
* Paying someone to cut the canes too short, or not at all, and folding long canes over each other without pulling off the 2nd growth fruit.

Canes cut short, with long canes
folded over and compacted.

MISDEMEANORS:
* Not cutting cane and folding long canes on top of each other before netting (how will sunlight reach the fruit and the leaves)?
* Not pulling the 2nd growth fruit off of the end of the vines, because you think the birds need food to eat (all that energy is going into unnecessary grapes, instead of the grapes we will use to make wine).
* Raking up all the leaves for the recycle garbage man and not leaving them to compost in the vineyard. ("Where will the nutrition come from?" I ask. "Just buy chemical fertilizer," she replies.  I want to say aho.)
* Leaving gaping holes in the netting for the birds to enter when you say no birds will get in there. (Are you still trying to feed the birds?) Paying someone to put on nets and leave gaping holes.
* Writing this blog when I should be outside netting.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE:
* Bird caught in net.

MEDAL OF VALOR:
* Saving birds caught in net.
* Queen putting nets on the vine herself.
* Raking up the pulled clusters.
* Queen cutting the vines in snake alley by herself to prepare them for netting.
* Owl Gore (for catching a gopher, mouse, rat or some rodent every day)
* Getting most of the nets on in time and saving most of the crop from the birds.
* Saving Fidel's life (by not killing him).
* Bringing cold beer to the vineyard.

Does any of this take place on your property? I hate to say it, but, alas, I think this post will be continued.

Note To Vineyardisto: Next Year Trim the Vines Before the Jungle

One vineyard manager says not to hedge your vines because it promotes lateral growth while other vineyardistos hedge their vines. Then there's Pete Anderson whose answer to most vineyard questions is, "It depends" and I'm appreciating the wisdom of his phrase as I gain more experience each year. I let the vines grow nicely this year and given ample winter rains withheld water (not only to conserve our precious wet resource but to slow the vines) and thinned lateral shoots from the fruiting zone.  As summer arrived and temperatures rose I figured the longer shoots facing sunset would protect grapes from blistering afternoon sunshine so I let them grow.  In fact, they offered too much protection as the vines grew long and thick they blocked not only the sun but flowing air and despite the best efforts of spraying every three weeks, and given the fact that neither neighbors Merlot Mike nor Coyote Karen on the very same spraying regimen have not one spot of mildew on their grapes, we have incubated mildew galore in the jungle areas. Armed with clippers in the pocket and hedgers in hand that put less repetitive stress on these aging joints, I snip, I trim, I cut, I hack and the Queen says the vineyard looks beautiful and I don't disagree and the purpling grapes have been opened up to airflow and sunshine and I make a note to not let the vines grow out of control next year as the Queen starts singing a song about how I should pick up the cuttings.

A Drop to Cure, an Ounce to Kill: Whoops!

I noticed a powdery mildew outbreak in the Aglianico vines along the shed. I had this coming as the canopy is mismanaged, not allowing good airflow. But, I've learned a few things since last year, when mildew spread across half of the vineyard and I found it difficult to control (and lost 1/2 of the Petit Sirah and 1/2 of the Grenache crops). There's miracle, organic, JMS Stylet oil that arrests mildew outbreaks. The recommended dilution rate with water is 1% to 2%, so I remembered from elementary school there are 16 oz to a pint, 32 oz to a half gallon and 64 ounces to a gallon, right?* So if there are 64 oz to a gallon then I should blend in 6.4 oz of stylet oil per gallon, right? Wrong! The correct amount is .6 oz. What was I thinking?! Alas, I overdosed the vines. Fortunately, light was running out that evening, and I only attacked the worst spots, and I got the dosage correct for the rest of the block. The two pictures above show dead leaves and shriveled grapes as a result of my mistake. I've heard that vines are tough characters, so I think these guys may come back with time. The picture below shows healthyAglianico vines I sprayed with the correct dosage. I wonder when they're going to need some water?

*(Wrong! 128 ounces to a gallon! So the correct dilution is 1.2 oz per gallon + / -)

At Spring, Looking Back on Winter's Vineyard Mistakes

The first day of Spring with three-quarters of the vineyard in bud break and some shoots five inches long. Spanish and French lavender are in full bloom. It is a period of renewal for the vines and for the United States as well, I hope. In the vineyard's case there is a threat lurking underneath the serene picture of green shoots: mildew. Since hope is not a strategy I'll take decisive action to implement a spraying program in upcoming weeks to control it.

In hindsight, we made serious mistakes managing the vineyard this winter that could easily have been avoided. Novice vineyard owners and future grape growers pay attention. It is yet to be seen how grave the mistakes will be, but we have definitely made our vines susceptible to fungal infections this year. In hindsight, it is better to:

1) Wait until pruning as late as possible in the season. We started pruning in mid-January, but there is no reason why we couldn't have waited until mid-February. One reason for waiting is rain encourages mildew and other fungi to enter the pruning cuts in the vine. Our error this year was pruning early. After we pruned, the vineyard experienced heavy rains -- and strong fungal growth around the pruned spurs.

2) Immediately after pruning (i.e., the same day), apply a fungicide to the cuts. This is easily done with a paint brush. Next year, I will make this brush application part of the pruning process: prune a row then paint over the cuts. This is to protect the wounds from fungi (and the health of the vine). Think of it as washing your hands with soap and water after a cut to reduce the risk of bacterial infection.

3) A day or so after pruning apply dormant spray and oil, soaking the entire vines. (Our error this year was waiting two weeks before spraying, allowing fungi to grow.)

For a compilation list of errors in the vineyard & winery, I invite you to click on this link: http://www.winemakersjournal.com/lessons.html

What's done is done. Once again we've become a laboratory for unwanted vineyard experimentation. Our consolation will be topping off the barrels this evening (and tasting the 2009 wines). The last time we did this the Tempranillo was to die for.

Winemaking Mistakes To Avoid: Lessons Learned

It's been a year since we celebrated the blessing of the vines, and we have many blessings to be thankful. Here are some of the lessons we've learned along the way. I'm sure there will be many more.

* When pruning first year wines in the winter after the first growing season, do not prune them too high above the cordon wire. Some people recommend two inches above the cordon. Others recommend just below the cordon. In any event, don't go above two inches. (Alternatively, if you want to take more time to develop a strong root system, you can prune down to the bottom of the vine, to establish a very strong trunk in year two -- then in year 3, prune at the cordon wire to establish the cordons. This approach takes longer, but will result in a strong root system.)

* As much as you would rather be tying vines and pruning in the winter/spring, get the gophers! (Get them early to avoid multiplication of the problem after they breed!)

* After the first year, don't hesitate to prune any weak cordons. I know, you worked hard all summer to grow those first cordons, but if they're weak, prune them off in the winter before spring. You'll be amazed at the strength of the new cordons which grow out -- and you'll have a much stronger cordon.

* You don't have to put vines on a trellis system, especially if you're making a micro vineyard.

* Study the theory of vine spacing. Some people like 6 feet spacing or more. Others will insist you cannot make great fruit if the cordons are too far apart.

* If you can cold soak must after picking and crush, do it! A few days of soaking allows color and "fruit" to enter into the must, without harsh tannins. You can use containers (used milk, orange juice cartons filled with water then turned to ice from the freezer) to keep the must cool. If you put in dry ice, watch out for a bubbling volcano!

* Be wary of storing wine in new, small oak barrels that have not been rinsed thoroughly and broken in (the wine may become over-oaked within two weeks!)

* Even though you over-oaked the wine, be patient. The harsh flavor will dissipate with time.--Patience is a winemaker's virtue.

* Don't attach a sulphur stick to a rubber bung when sulphuring a barrel. When the sulphur burns, it may melt the rubber (not a pleasant tasting addition for a barrel).

* If you don't get all the sulphur out of the barrel, your wine may have the nose of used matchsticks.

* When selecting a home-site for a vineyard, a mountain top offers fabulous views and excellent drainage, but flat land is easier to walk on, develop and maintain. (Retaining walls may be more expensive to construct than your vineyard!)

* Don't buy a house in the country just because your dog needs more room. If the coyotes and the snakes don't get him, the foxtails will.

* Inspect the dog's toes for foxtails twice a day, or withdraw $2,000 from the ATM to pay for the upcoming visit to the vet.

* In the long run it's cheaper to purchase $25/bottle wine from the local winery than to make your own. (But not nearly as fun.)

* Don't leave your cases of wine in the garage if the temperatures rest at 90 degrees for a month or so. The wine will oxidize, turn brownish and change taste. Said one taster: Hmm, reminds me of 'medicino'--A polite way to say the Syrah had turned to medicine!

* Just because a self-proclaimed wine judge doesn't ooh and aah over the best bottle of wine you ever made doesn't mean it's not an award-winning concoction!

* If you live in southern California where sharpshooters are present, inocculate your first year vines against Pierce's disease.

*Seen on a T-Shirt: "I spent most of my money on wine and women. The rest of it I wasted!

*Things that go bump in the dark: Watch out for scorpions when getting a glass of water in the middle of the night.

* Watch out for black widows when pulling the cover off of your wine containers.

* A glass of white wine isn't so bad if you've only been quaffing red for the last year.

* The rabbits will eat the buds and first leaves from your newly planted roots -- put the plastic covers on, fool!

(To be continued.)