Category Archives: Wine Growing

Thinning Fruit

We have about 2 weeks until the nets go up and we have a lot of work to do. Last week we started thinning some fruit that I didn’t think would ripen in time and we will finish that in a few days. Next, we will do a second pass to ensure the right amount of leaves have been removed to enhance the flavor of the grapes. We also will tuck the vines in the wires one more time and spray with potassium bicarbonate to hopefully eliminate the possibility of bunch rot. Then the nets go up and we stress the vines by reducing the water and hopefully mid September we have almost 4 tons of Pinot noir.

As soon as veraison is complete, I will take a pH reading on the grapes to see if the improvements we made last year helped to make the grapes more acidic. Let’s hope as it will make wine making much easier.

2014 Veraison – Harvest Predictions !!!

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Veraison (or when the grapes turn red) is here!!! It actually happened on July 5th this year. I only count when I see a red grape on a full cluster. Last year it was on July 8th. So when is harvest? Well…in general, it is normally 6 weeks after you get to 50% veraison, or in our case around the time the grapes hit 24.5 brix/taste good/brown seeds. We are 3 days behind for growing degree days from last year, but 3 days ahead for veraison, but have at least 30% more fruit…so my guess is September 15th.

Now for the tonnage…We had a total of 2.6 tons last year. It was split approximately 1.75 tons pommard and 0.85 tons 667. I’m guessing that the pommard is 25% more than 2013 and the 667 is twice what it was last year. So…2.19 tons of pommard and 1.7 tons of 667 for a total of 3.89 tons of Pinot noir. We are going to keep around a ton this year to make ourselves and sell the rest to Horse and Plow Winery.

Follow along in September to see how my guesses hold up.

Petiole Analysis

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This fall will be my third harvest of Pinot Noir grapes. One vineyard test I forgot to perform last year was a petiole analysis. Basically, you take the leaf opposite the lowest bunch at bloom and test its composition. From that you can see if you need to make adjustments in your sprays or fertilization program.

As you can see from above, I’m in pretty good shape…just have to add a little boron to my foliar sprays. My analytical goal this year is to harvest amazing fruit with a pH of 3.5X…wait and see in 3.5 months if I got it right!

Wires, twins, shoot thinning, oh boy!

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As vintner Merry Edwards puts it: “There is no other place in the world where all the right conditions converge to create the kaleidoscopic aroma profile and the rich, full texture so recognizable in pinots produced in our appellation.”

The vineyard, as always, has been a lot of work in May. On the 27th we got all the vines in the wires, a second pass of shoot thinning, twins removal and sucker removal. This year it was only myself and Bernadino, so a lot of work.

If you notice in the picture above, the Pommard Pinot clone has gone crazy this year! Some of the shoots are 2′ above the top wire already and I’ll have to hedge very soon before they get out of control. I talked to a few other growers and they all say the same thing…lots of growth. Hopefully it will translate to fantastic fruit later in the year.

2014’s Crop

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We are about 75% through fruit set as you can see. Last year we had areas of poor set, but this year the vines are all very healthy and the weather has been perfect.

So…I’m predicting 3.9 tons of fruit this year, will have to revise it later when I do a very thorough count of the bunches. As far as harvest, we are only a day behind on growing degree days from last year with dry weather as far as the eye can see. Last year we harvested on 9/11 and 9/12 and I think since we have more fruit it will be 9/15 and 9/16.

Frozen Pipes – Update

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If you remember, right before we went on vacation in December, we had a very cold week (by Sebastopol standards) and our pvc pipes to the vineyard froze and broke. I repaired the broken pipe yesterday and turned on the water to the system to test it. Low and behold, the pressure gauge broke and a 1″ brass valve cracked and was leaking. I can almost understand the pressure gauge, but a solid brass valve, wow! And it was only in the mid-20’s.

I learned my lesson…I have to winterize the pipes this fall.

Replacement Vines – Gophers are only funny in Caddy Shack!

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OK, so if you have watched Caddy Shack you probably think gophers are cute and harmless. Well, here in West Sonoma County we would do anything to get rid of the little guys! They eat the roots of the grapevines. Let’s do a little math….it takes around 4 years until the vine is in full production. Eat vine I have makes about 1 bottle of wine…so if a gopher eats a full grown vine I lose about $100 of gross wine sales. Now they are not so cute. Last week I had to replace 93 vines….some from gophers and some that never grew well.

I have to hand water the vines until we start irrigating the entire vineyard in 2 months, a lot of work.

I had 7 vines left over that I planted in a nursery row.

Trading a Mercedes for a John Deere

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As some of you know, November 2012 we were in an car accident. It was not our fault, but my faithful 1997 C230 was totaled. I went back and forth on what to get…but eventually decided that the F250 was my vehicle.

Well, I just got a new vehicle with that insurance money. A John Deere x304 Lawn Tractor!

If you read any of the posts back in 2010/2011 you will see that we planted the vineyard with very tight spacing…5′ x 40″ with only 12′ from the rows to the fence line. I didn’t test it well enough, so it has been very tight to drive around and also to use the current riding tractor.

So, why did I upgrade? Well, the current model was over 20 years old and I purchased it used from my neighbor at a garage sale when we moved to Sebastopol. Over the last 6 years I had to put in a lot of money to keep it going, so it was time. Why did I pick the John Deere? The biggest selling point is that is has 4 wheel steering! I hope you can tell in the picture that the back wheels turn also, so I can literally turn around a 20″ circle. On top of that is has a somewhat quieter engine, cruise control, hose clean out for the mulching bed, 4 year warranty, just to name a few of the options. Oh…and it is made in Wisconsin!!!

I’m hoping it will give me 20 years of good service at Turtle Vines.

Bud Break – Sauvignon Blanc…and plan for 2014

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Bud break for our Sauvignon Blanc happened , March 25, 2014. It is a week ahead of last year. If you remember, due to the location of the very small Sauvignon Blanc vineyard, it does not get as much sun as the Pinot Noir. Consequently we harvested these grapes 6 weeks after the Pinot Noir, at the end of October. This year I will try and alter the vines so that we will pick in mid-September. How you ask? Normally each shoot will produce 2 grape bunches. For the 29 vines near the house I will take off one of the bunches so the shoot will put all its energy into one bunch. By the way, some vineyards in Napa do this to their Cabnernet to enhance flavor. For the 5 new vines at the entrance of the Pinot vineyard, those get plenty of sun and I’ll leave 2 bunches. I’m hoping this will both hasten ripening and also produce better wine. I’m guessing we will get about 7 cases for 2014. Follow along…and check back in September to see if this experiment works!

Winemaking Classes at Vinquiry !

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Vinquiry, a wine analysis lab, is holding a 5 part class, Craft Winemaking , over the next 5 months. I have signed up to add to my practical experience with technical, scientific supported data. It is designed for those in the industry who would like to know more about the entire process and winemakers to go from making good wine to great wine. I’m hoping to continue to add to my knowledge so each vintage my wine is better! At the end of the classes I’ll summarize the actions and implement them with my 2014 vintage.

Introduction to Winemaking – Overview of the process, concept of style, sanitation, equipment and winery choices, overview of analysis, SO2 management, sensory evaluation.

Maturation and ageing – Goals of aging, how to work with small lots, container choices, racking, protection wine during aging and movements, fining and treatments, potential problems and their prevention and treatment.

Finishing and Bottling – Stabilization, additions, clarification, filtration, blending, quality control, bottling and bottling equipment, packaging.

Grapes and Grape Processing – Sourcing grapes, vineyard sampling, picking decision, crushing (or not), crushing and pressing equipment, fermenters, temperature control, must and juice treatments/additions.

Fermentation – Yeast (or not), nutrition, fermentation management and monitoring, cap management, malolactic fermentation, problem fermentations, problem recognition and treatment.