Blogs
Three Years of Vineyard Weather Data on Sunshine Mesa
As of the end of this year, I have three years of vineyard weather data. Enough data to consider trends. Not enough for making gross pronouncements! Paying attention to daily weather informs human actions. What to wear, your activity for the day, preparations for an upcoming weather event—and in my case, when to engage in specific agricultural pursuits, whether tilling, planting, pruning, spraying, or harvesting.
Land of Beauty, Wine, and Hospitality in Portugal
Janine and I recently returned from a two-week European trip, during which we experienced extraordinary beauty, wine, and hospitality in Portugal. It was a whirlwind of adventure spanning four locations: Porto and Lisbon, and the Alentejo and Algarve regions. While the trip began with Port “front and center”, it was the variety and quality of country wines which made an impression.
2024 Vineyard Lessons Learned – Fall Harvest Edition
Alas, it’s my favorite time of year. An unveiling of my 2024 vineyard lessons learned! This is my second such unveiling, as it is the vineyard’s second season with grapes. In some ways, the year was less dramatic and fraught than last year. Only because I was following last year’s advice.
Come Over October
You can be forgiven if you didn’t know October 15 is National Cheese Curd Day or October 20 is National Chicken and Waffles Day. How about Come Over October, a month to celebrate drinking wine with people? Come Over October is simple: invite people over and enjoy wine with them.
Summer on Sunshine Mesa – 2024 Edition
Summer is an eventful season in the vineyard. While its tribulations can be burdensome, you always come away with new insights. I’ve learned about vine flower shatter, leafhoppers, vine root growth, and how my daily vineyard schedule is not unlike my grandfather’s farm routine.
Vineyard Pests
Whoa, came across one of these in the vineyard… Well, not really. However, I came across an article about Australian vineyard pests and was struck and humored by the uncommonness to North American pests our “down under” friends have to put up with. They may seem cute, but they are still pests, i.e., they cause damage to the vines and grapes.
Is Your Wine Natural?
You may have encountered the term “natural” when looking for wines at your local shop or restaurant. Initially, I thought natural was used as a play on organic. Come to find out, my initial reaction was not wrong but also not entirely correct.
Colorado Wine Country According to AI
Can AI write an blog post discussing Colorado’s Wine Country? Of course it can. I asked ChatGTP to write four versions of a blog comparing Colorado’s two wine-growing regions, Grand Valley and West Elks. AI was also used to generate associated images. The results were surprising good, and fast. There were takeaways.
Welcome to My Blog!
2020 was a year of upheaval and change for everyone. For me, it began a journey of working towards my life encore. COVID-19 freed me from in-person work requirements. The evolving more flexible dynamic supported a transition from city to rural living, enabling me to pursue my passion to grow grapes and make wine.
