Even though we are still early in October, grape harvest for 2015 is almost over with 166 tons of Roussanne, Montepulciano, Aglianico, and Petit Verdot being harvested already. There are only about 26 tons of grapes left in the vineyard – we better get to eating before they are all gone!
The anticipation is over – Margie had her calf. That is the good news. The birth went easily and mom and baby were healthy. Unfortunately, there is some bad news. Like a good old fashioned John Wayne movie complete with cattle rustlers there is a happy end to the story.
Spring is here! How do I know? The vines are beginning to bud! Bud-break in the Vineyard means the grape crop is on its way! So far, it is the younger plants that are budding but the others are not far behind.
Oh the excitement of it all. The anticipation of the event. I can’t contain myself. After all, we are talking about a new life – a…
Planting grapevines is always an exciting time at the vineyard. This year, we have planted five more acres – 3 acres Montepulciano and 2 acres Aglianico, both Italian red varieties. And, as usual, it is a family affair!
Early Bud-break in the Vineyard? It sure looks that way. The sap is running and we are trying to slow the plant’s pushing the buds! Of course, this is only a problem if we have another freeze!
We crushed Montepulciano grapes from the vineyard last year after harvest. Those are still in barrels but now it’s time to bottle the wine from the Montepulciano grapes from 2013. Wine making is a process that requires patience but bottling gives a chance to taste the progression of it!
The fellas traveled to California to see the Pellenc Precision Pruner in action. This baby will save us months of work and the fun they had on the trip was icing on the cake! Using an infrared eye, the Pellenc Precision Pruner does what we do hand pruning in a fraction of the time! Here are some photos of the sights they saw.
Hand painted ceramic tile murals from Spain are here! We have begun importing from a small family business in the Barcelona area that we found while living in Switzerland. These are beautiful and come ready to hang or the tiles may be removed from the backing and used in tile work.
Dragging ourselves out of holiday mode and gearing up for vineyard work is the challenge for the month of February! But, as we begin pruning and begin looking forward to this year’s grape harvest, momentum builds.