Big Barn Vineyard

[oregondabbler]

Catching up at the end of 2015 winter/spring nexus

Just a few more days will mark the beginning of spring. Its been a busy winter, big barn got a new roof and an electrical service panel. Digging that trench during the winter months was not my favorite chore . After that, the campaign to prune the vineyard took my attention. I don't know about the other growers but for me, pruning even my piddly 280 vines is a test of will and endurance. Granted, the vineyard needed extra work after the long period of neglect, but really, pruning is not a new age activity. Towards the end of the campaign, I went down with a sore back and had to rehab before going back out there.

Anyway, 40-50 hours of quiet time tending the vines, listening to the hawks cry as they defended their territory (I decided that the vineyard is their territory and I'm just tending it so that the voles will have something to feed on and get fat for the hawks.) and its done! I can re-join the 21st century.

Last year, the grapes were just barely ripe enough in time. Brix came in OK but low and pH/acidity indicated that they were just barely ripe enough. This is not new to me and I gave lots of thought to why. There are a lot of variables, of course but the one I'm focusing on this year is pruning method. This year, I cut the vines back to the minimum. I think I was leaving too many buds for vines that aren't vigorous enough to handle the growth. Maybe this I overcropped but maybe there wasn't a balance between vine growth and grapes. This was one of the reasons my pruning campaign took so long...I cut the vines back pretty hard this year.

It's just a beginning but one that I can at least say is off to a good start. I have a few projects in the works for the year and I'll share them with you as they develop. Pictures are forthcoming. Now where is that glass of wine?

 

[grapeman]

Thanks for the progress report on the vineyard. Sounds like you got the vines pruned up good for this year.

 

[gaboy]

How old are your vines?

 

[OilnH2O]

Dabbler, just found this thread - very interesting. I'm just getting started on pruning here - but I've got only 40 vines so it's a one-day job. You're getting great production on the Foch - keep on!

 

[oregondabbler]

How old are your vines?

Some of the rows were planted over several years, between '91 and '94.
So, about 22 years old. Any reason for asking?

 

[oregondabbler]

You're getting great production on the Foch - keep on!

Thanks, it's different every year!

 

[gaboy]

Some of the rows were planted over several years, between '91 and '94.
So, about 22 years old. Any reason for asking?

Just starting my vines, just curious. Thanks!

 

[oregondabbler]

Just starting my vines, just curious. Thanks!

Have fun with it. Are the vines you are starting the muscadines that you mentioned in another thread or is this something different?

I don't have any experience with muscadines. You will find some helpful people in the grape growers sub forum.

 

[oregondabbler]

Finally, some time to spend with winemakers. The 2015 harvest went down last weekend. About 16 friends and family showed up for the harvest and post-harvest festivities. At this time, about 90 gallons of crushed pinot noir, 70 gallons of crushed Marshal Foch, 15 gallons of crushed and pressed Pinot Gris and another 30 gallons of Chardonnay are perking away in Big Barn.

To prepare for the bounty of 2015, the weekend before, some friends showed up to help bottle last year's harvest. In all, 200 bottles of Pinot Noir, 200 bottles of Foch, 120 bottles of Chard and 50 bottles of Pinot Gris were put away. Carboys are now clean and ready to receive wine from this year.

Where am I going to put all this? Until now, Big Barn was just a storage building without power and a failing roof. My summer projects were to clean up the barn, build a carboy cabinet and a wine cellar-cabinet in Big Barn.

Some photos:
Big Barn in all its glory. Its an old barn, built from materials scavenged from somewhere in the 50's. The roof is new but the siding is not. That's probably next year's project.

 

[oregondabbler]

Photos of the carboy cabinet. I got this up and running in July. The barn is not insulated and it got over a hundred (F) in the barn some days. The window AC installed in the r-21 insulated cabinet kept the wine at 60-62.

 

[oregondabbler]

Photos of wine cellar-cabinet. Its not done yet, doors need to be installed as well as the AC and final wiring but its nearly there. A few wine bottle racks are installed and already stocked with wine.

 

[oregondabbler]

And a few views of the vineyard taken this morning as I was walking out the the barn. The last photo is one that I couldn't leave out -- dog playing in the vineyard

 

[mgmarty]

Very nice pictures. Always a relief to have the crops in.