Since the birds were insistent on stealing the Dornfelder, I bought a refractrometer and checked the brix levels. Prior to testing, I tasted the grapes. Although the Dornfelder was developing sweetness, the acid was more prevalent. Seeds were still green but beginning to turn brown. The Dornfelder measured a 16.5 brix. The birds probably have […]
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I have a newfound respect for grape growers. Finally, after two years of succumbing to black rot, I managed to aggressively spray my six grape vines that now have very nice fruit. The berries must be good since they are visited by a non-stop wave of birds. With only six vines and dozens of interested […] I am surprised that my Dornfelder grapes are starting veraison. It seems that it is too early in July. On the other hand, we have had dry weather with numerous days in the 90’s and even three straight days in the 100’s. Last year there were no days in the 100’s and few days in […] I find myself sitting on the deck marveling at the Dornfelder grapes and the pictures that nature paints. Every day is different. Today I noticed and tried to capture the sunshine casting shadows through the leaves. The bright blue background gave a nice contrast to the light green. Vineyards are beautiful to gaze upon, especially […] I just happened to notice the Niagara grapes in my backyard. They have increased in size and are definitely much larger than the few vines of Dornfeilder I have planted. What was even more encouraging was the lack of black or brown circles on the grapes. During the last two years we lost our grape […] A little over a week after planting a row of Petit Manseng, it was time to visit the vineyard. Our task yesterday was to move the soil to three inches below the graft. When we first planted the vines, the soil was mounded up over the graft. Mounding the soil over the graft protected the […] We decided to plant a row of Petit Manseng. We tasted several wines made from this varietal grape at different Virginia wineries. At the 2010 Drink Local Wine Conference held in Virginia, Petit Manseng was mentioned as a promising grape to grow in that state. In tastings, we discovered that is can be harvested in […] Yesterday Kathy and I assembled blue growtubes to place over the vines we plated in the vineyard last weekend. A translucent blue flexible piece of plastic is rolled and placed into a blue soft plastic sleeve. This grapevine shelter created by Blue-X is supposed to provide several benefits for newly planted grapevines. The obvious advantage […] There is a saying that I hear all the time, “Wine is made in the vineyard.” I know of the hard work winemakers put in at a winery. Having experienced some of the fun as well as more mundane tasks at wineries has given me an appreciation for the efforts that winemakers put forth. Then […] I’ve been observing vineyards in Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa counties for the last couple weeks. I’ve noticed that many of the Sonoma and Napa vineyards have few weeds and some look well manicured. In Mendocino I’ve observed quite a different scene. Vineyard rows were filled with what appeared to be weeds. However on closer inspection […] |
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