Preparing for Vineyard Expansion
Working on the house is not the only thing happening during the warm weather. We are getting ready to expand the vineyard this spring by adding 5 more acres of grapes!
vineyard
Making Wine at Home
Making wine at home can be done with very little equipment. We use a crusher/destemmer and a bladder press. Both pieces of equipment were purchased from wineries that buy our grapes.
Making Wine – Crushing Grapes
Well, harvest is over but there are always grapes left to glean! Because of the way our vine rows are set up, the last vine…
Grape Harvest 2016
Aglianico and Montepulciano grapes are now gone! In one harvest filled week, grape harvest for 2016 is done! Almost anyway – we have to have some for our own wine making!
Roussane Grapes and Bunch Rot
Bunch rot – we never thought we would battle this fungus in our vineyard. After all, we live in west Texas where it is dry and has ideal grape growing conditions!
Veraison and Cluster Counts = Ripening Grapes!
The grapes are ripening and the race is on the find the ripest ones before anyone else does! We are taking a quick break from tucking the vines (canopy management) to do cluster counts. This is exciting because we find out how many tons of grapes to expect at harvest!
Wire Raising in the Vineyard
It is hard to believe that June is here! Thankfully, we have been spared from hail which frequently accompanies our thunderstorms and the vineyard is…
Spring Vineyard – It’s Coming Alive!
One of my favorite times in the vineyard is spring. After appearing to be dead through the winter months, it suddenly comes alive with beautiful green buds. With the beginning of the growing season here, we are already looking forward to harvest and a good crop!
2016 Vineyard Pruning Complete!
It is finished. Pruning that is. All 32 acres. I love how clean the vineyard looks this time of year and all the potential that this year’s crop has. It is only April and freezes are still very possible – which could destroy this year’s grape crop. But, late pruning delays bud break and protect the grapes.
Pellenc Precision Pruner TRP
Our new vineyard toy promises to cut our hand pruning time in half if not more! We are now able to prune at least an acre a day which is way faster than before the precision pruner! Our hands are already thanking us!