Grow Wine
May 2023
May is an exceedingly busy month in the vineyard. You must tend to new growth with vine trellis guiding and pruning, and also prepare for future year vineyard growth with supplemental planting to fill row gaps. Continued weeding is essential, along with beginning a spraying program to control powdery mildew and small critters.
April 2023
With winter beginning to loosen its grip, I had several items in store for April. All were important in getting everything ready for the growing season but paramount, was adding four new irrigation zones to the vineyard. Also in store, pruning, tightening up trellis wire, and hoeing weeds as they emerged.
January – March 2023
2022 proved an excellent growing season for second-year vines on Sunshine Mesa. Riesling was the most vigorous, Pinot Noir did well but in a slower less bodacious manner. With the first freeze in late October, the season was officially over. After the successful second season, my anticipation and excitement were high for what lay in store!
1st Year Vineyard – Part I
I’m a life-long DIY’er. It comes from a long family heritage beginning with my grandfather, who was a hard-scrabble farmer in NE Texas. And my dad, who as a teenager plowed cotton fields behind a mule and as a father, planted a front yard vegetable garden before it was vogue.
1st Year Vineyard – Part II
The time had come to dig holes for the grape rootstock. Complete to-date; vineyard site and grape selection, site prep, vine row, and hole layout, and determine how to plant the rootstock. To do; plant, install irrigation, monitor growth, build wildlife fence, and winter prep.