Last night we had the first vine clinging snowfall of the year. Factoids may argue that it was our fourth snowfall. The first was an inch but didn’t cling to the vines. The second and third snowfalls measured trace if that much again with no clinging to the vines. Last night’s snowfall not only was […]
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I’ve given up with my Dornfelder. After an assault from birds, I learned to place netting over the vines and grapes. It helped somewhat. We did have to free a few birds from inside the netting. Then the bees went after the grapes. I guess they are ready for harvest although the highest brix I […] 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 […] 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 […] 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 […] |
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Do You Fertilize Vinefera Grapes?
Just as winemakers shake their heads when the affect of government on wine is discusses, so to do vineyard growers. I had the opportunity to talk to Ron Barrett, winegrower and winemaker at Kinkead Ridge Estate Winery in Ripley, Ohio. Ron mentioned that the state isn’t helpful when they make suggestions that winegrowers need to […]