We are almost finished pruning! You cannot believe what happy campers we are around here! We have pruned 30 1/3 acres and only have 2 more to go - one more day. I always love how clean the vineyard looks after hand pruning is completed. There is vine trash in the middle of the rows but that will be taken care of with the flail mower. It is amazing that this year, bud break is a whole month … [Read more...] about Almost Finished Pruning – 30 Acres Done, 2 to Go!
Vineyard
Hand Pruning the Vineyard 2017
Hand pruning is in full swing at the vineyard. With 32 1/3 acres to prune, we have to book it to get finished before bud break. A typical day for us from now until we are done is being out in the vineyard around 9:00 am and working until 5:00 pm. We do stop for breaks after finishing a row. Lunch is at 1:00 and this year we are eating it in the vineyard. Hand pruning needs to be finished before … [Read more...] about Hand Pruning the Vineyard 2017
Precision Pruning Using the Pellenc TRP 2017
Last year, we purchased the Pellenc TRP Precision Pruner which cut our pruning time in half! The TRP attaches on the front arm of the Pellenc 4560 as it straddles the vine row (like the pre-pruner). Like we expected, the Pellenc TRP cut our hand pruning time from 2 1/2 months down to 1 month, That is a big difference! Not only are we saving time but it also saves our hands. Unlike the … [Read more...] about Precision Pruning Using the Pellenc TRP 2017
Pre-Pruning the Vineyard 2017
Here we go again! Pre-pruning the vineyard 2017 has started and finished. Using our Pellenc 4560 grape harvester with the pre-pruner attachment makes it quick and easy. Well, it still takes a week to do the 32 acres but for the amount of work done, that is nothing! The pre-pruner cuts the vines down to the desired height. It then removes and mulches the excess vine growth from the wires as it … [Read more...] about Pre-Pruning the Vineyard 2017
Preparing for Vineyard Expansion
We have taken advantage of unseasonably warm weather and started preparing for vineyard expansion! We are planting 5 more acres of grapes this year: 4 acres will be Albarino and 1 acre of Roussanne. This is very exciting because the 4 acres of Albarino will bring the vineyard up to the driveway right in front of the house! Having the vineyard right out the front door was my criteria for picking … [Read more...] about Preparing for Vineyard Expansion
Making Wine at Home
Making wine at home involves several steps and time. Making wine at home can be done with very little equipment. While we use a crusher/destemmer and a bladder press, it can be done without them. A quick internet search will yield a viariety of suggestions. As you can see from the photo above, the grapes have been fermenting after crushing/destemming and it is now time for pressing to … [Read more...] about Making Wine at Home