Budbreak

The growing season is here. Sprays have commenced. No pest trouble :) yet...

Budbreak was seen in greater than 50% of petit manseng on April 14, and less than 50% of petit verdot that same date.

Frost visited our vineyard April 22. The low temperature reached 31 degrees. There was very mild damage in the petit manseng, but enough to show that old man winter can still make an appearance. New growth is very sensitive to frost, and harvest can be drastically reduced by a frost event.

Petit manseng, 4/21/2013.

Petit verdot, 4/21/2013.

Green spring fields, with two deer on the left, waiting for my fruit.

Early spring means bleeding

Pruning cuts often leak sap in early spring, often called "bleeding" or "crying." But no one around here is crying. We are ready for budbreak!

A drop of sap, falling to the ground.  

Feeling sappy...

2013 season: Gearing up

Well, nothing has been posted for a while. The deer, for a second season, enjoyed the 2012 harvest. The barriers used were ineffective. Fencing has been purchased, and will be established soon. Lessons have been learned: control the varmints! (and fungus and insects).
I am thankful for the lessons of 2012. The spray program was effective. We obtained grapes from Mount Juliet Vineyards, Silver Creek Orchards, and Horton Vineyards. We made cabernet franc, merlot, malbec, and mourvedre. Winegrowing and winemaking education will continue to press onward...

The vines continue to sleep under a blanket of winter snow.

Winter in central Virginia wine country.

Example of spur-trained vines.

Example of cane-pruned vines.

Speaking of education and experimentation, the petit verdot and petit manseng, on alternate rows, are pruned to spur or cane. I look forward to seeing how these vines perform differently. I especially anticipate differences in shoot thinning, with cane-pruned vines requiring less labor. The question will be whether the difference of less summer labor will outweigh the spring labor of retying of the vines to the training wire. The fruits (literal) of my labor will also be compared.