1999

FROM BUD TO GLASS: OUR NEW PINOT GRIGIO HIGH DENSITY PLANTINGS

So many of our visitors ask about the vineyard and are unable to visit it, so we have decided to let you follow the progress of the new plantings so that you can see how much fun we have in the vineyard and what it is like to watch the grass (and weeds as well as the vines) grow! In the early summer of 1998, we planted 1600 Pinot Grigio vines in a new area of the vineyard using a system more common in Oregon and California than Virginia. The principle is that in a vineyard of low vigor as our's, dense plantings of vines, one every 4 feet and rows close together, 7 feet, is a more efficient system than the wide spacing usually employed (the Vidal Blanc vines in the background of the photo below)are planted every 7 feet in the row and the rows are 10 feet apart. This gives about 550 vines per acre while the dense plantings are at 1500 vines per acre. In this photo taken Feb 6 , 1999 Jeniffer our pruning expert, is holding the first year cane prior to topping. The second photo shows the vine topped at the first wire, leaving 3 buds only on the vine. Two will be retained once bud break has occurred and these will be trained upwards. If all goes well, 4 clusters of fruit will be allowed to grow this year from these two buds. We will photo these on this same vine so you can follow the growth cycle of bud to glass of wine!

 

 

TOPPING THE ONE YEAR OLD VINE AND RETAINING THE TWO BUDS REQUIRED TO FORM THE FUTURE VINE RENEWAL SYSTEM. The astute observer will have noticed there are actually 3 buds left. One was removed April 19 and as you can see, both buds have two fruit clusters. Hopefully these will be in the glass by Christmas. The bottom two pictures were taken May 30 and show the great growth of next years fruiting canes and a close-up showing the two fruit clusters (blooming) which hopefully will survive until harvest. Now it is August 1 and the vines two canes are 6 ft long! and the fruit is turning the characteristic copper/blue shade this white varietal takes on when ripe. The clusters will be harvested near the end of the month.

This year we have uprouted the old Vidal plantings and are putting in 1000 more Pinot Grigio, 400 Cabernet Franc and 500 Primitivo (aka Zinfandel). We will also keep this event up to date here as well, starting with sub-soiling the ground, putting in the posts and then the vines. Here is the view from the drivers seat of the Kubota. Heater and radio on, it is a far cry from the old Ford 3000 and whatever Mother Nature could serve up!

 

The latest addition, taken May 30, shows how well the new Pinot Grigio vines are growing when fed whole milk! They were planted early April and are now close to two feet high thanks to some well timed rain and now irrigation.