Champlain Valley - Grapemans' vineyard - Planting to small winery
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Rich,
Life is interesting. Somehow many of the things one experiences and witnesses do not make any sense at the time but as one ages, it all begins to make more sense. I am 69 butwhen I was about 6 or 7 and making wine with my Father and Grandfather, I remember going with them to the produce yards in Pittsburgh to buy California grapes. My Grandfather made all the selections and we would buy Muscat and a red grape to complement it in a ratio of 1 white to 3 red. We would buy enough grapes for from 2 to 6 barrels, depending on existing inventory and cash on hand.
The reds were either Alicante or Zinfandel. Our job, as children, was to strip the grapes from the stems prior to crushing. The kids (and there were a bunch of us, brothers and cousins) preferred the Zinfandel because they were larger and easier to strip. My Grandfather, on the other hand, all other things being equal, would buy the Alicante for a number of reasons, including the price, quality and sweetness. They were much smaller and harder to strip. I did not understand why he would do this until I read your reply, above. The ratio of skin area to volume was higher and it must have made a better wine. I am not sure my Grandfather knew why it made a better wine, other than from experience.
Thank you for the information. It was a better answer than what we used to get from our Grandfather. When we'd say, "Poppy, why are you buying the Alicante rather than the Zinfandel?" Because at that time children were to be seen and not heard, he would reply, "'Atsa why!"
Life is interesting. Somehow many of the things one experiences and witnesses do not make any sense at the time but as one ages, it all begins to make more sense. I am 69 butwhen I was about 6 or 7 and making wine with my Father and Grandfather, I remember going with them to the produce yards in Pittsburgh to buy California grapes. My Grandfather made all the selections and we would buy Muscat and a red grape to complement it in a ratio of 1 white to 3 red. We would buy enough grapes for from 2 to 6 barrels, depending on existing inventory and cash on hand.
The reds were either Alicante or Zinfandel. Our job, as children, was to strip the grapes from the stems prior to crushing. The kids (and there were a bunch of us, brothers and cousins) preferred the Zinfandel because they were larger and easier to strip. My Grandfather, on the other hand, all other things being equal, would buy the Alicante for a number of reasons, including the price, quality and sweetness. They were much smaller and harder to strip. I did not understand why he would do this until I read your reply, above. The ratio of skin area to volume was higher and it must have made a better wine. I am not sure my Grandfather knew why it made a better wine, other than from experience.
Thank you for the information. It was a better answer than what we used to get from our Grandfather. When we'd say, "Poppy, why are you buying the Alicante rather than the Zinfandel?" Because at that time children were to be seen and not heard, he would reply, "'Atsa why!"
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Thanks for sharing that with us. From now on I will tell all that ask the same thing "atsa why!" as I gesture to the grapes and have them sip a glass of wine from those ittty bitty grapes.
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By the way, in this picture it is of Scott Henry and the lower arms will be turned down very soon. Notice both rows point up. Soon the upper ones will still point up, but the lower ones will point downward.
Hey, atsa good story Rocky!
Randoneur
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Correct me if I'm wrong but this is how I understand the thinning effect - if you thin during flowering you will produce larger clusters and larger grapes and the vine will make up for the loss and still produce the same in weight. If you wait until verison to thin, you will produce better fruit but less fruit and less stress on the vine. The vine will not compensate by making grapes or clusters larger. The benefit verizon thinning is more even ripening of the clusters that are left, and of course you can get rid of clusters that are not desired. I do verizon thinning only.
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Mark as far as I am concerned you are correct. When I said I will thin some, it is generally shoot thinning only to adjust for secondary and tertiary shoots growing. I have too much to do to be pinching individual clusters off at this point. Generally speaking those secondary and tertiary shoots have much smaller and malformed clusters- take off the shoots and you take off those clusters also- accomplishing two goals at once.
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Here are a few more pictures. I took quite a few and will post with descriptions later.
Rich, really looking good. Will you be looking for pickers in October? I will work for wine!
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Everything is really flourishing now. Looks great
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Those with the droopy leaves are some trained to Scott Henry system. I turned the bottom shoots down today. You brush the shoots in front of one of the wires and move it down. That rotates that cordon and all the shoots point down. It gives separation to the two fruiting zones.
Flourishing is an understatement. It is a challenge getting through the vineyard for anopy management between rainstorms and working the tasting room and going to markets.
So far I have picked 95 percent of the grapes myself but may need a few helpers this year. I would say come on over, but it is a fair trip from Ohio!
Flourishing is an understatement. It is a challenge getting through the vineyard for anopy management between rainstorms and working the tasting room and going to markets.
So far I have picked 95 percent of the grapes myself but may need a few helpers this year. I would say come on over, but it is a fair trip from Ohio!
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It has been about a month and a week since I last posted. Things have really progressed. They have gone from bloom to early veraison in that time. I have been so busy, I haven't got many updated pictures. I got a few minutes today to check things out a bit and the Mn1200 grapes are in early veraison. The rest should begin in a week or two since they are a bit later. The Niagara grapes are about nickel size and truely loaded this year. That's OK with me as it is a great seller here.
Can't wait for the new pic's Rich, I've been planning my own vines so long it's driving me crazy. I live my dream though yours and others vineyards. Still looking for that perfect property down here in the southern tier of NY that will give me room for my kennel, grapes/orchid and possibly a horse or two. So when I say I need more pics, be leave me that you could be preventing serious mental breakdown...lol.
Pete
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I really do need to update the pictures. Things have been growing like gangbusters and are beginning to frighten me a bit. The vines are all so laden this year that I honestly don't know how I will be able to pick them all alone. OH WELL, I will try- just one cluster at a time...........
I will need a lot more storage this year. I began to build that up as I ordered 8-70 gallon Flextanks today. I also got but never used last year a couple bags in a box type things. One holds about 80-100 gallons and the other 150-200 gallons. I need to build the boxes that hold them and they will be ready to go. I will need more fermenting tubs/Brutes and maybe another batch of picking lugs.
Since I don't have enough nets or the time to net yet, I put in place a Bird Gard Super Pro deterrent system. It sounds like a jungle out there!
Good luck to everyone with their own vineyards.
I will need a lot more storage this year. I began to build that up as I ordered 8-70 gallon Flextanks today. I also got but never used last year a couple bags in a box type things. One holds about 80-100 gallons and the other 150-200 gallons. I need to build the boxes that hold them and they will be ready to go. I will need more fermenting tubs/Brutes and maybe another batch of picking lugs.
Since I don't have enough nets or the time to net yet, I put in place a Bird Gard Super Pro deterrent system. It sounds like a jungle out there!
Good luck to everyone with their own vineyards.
Rich, with a little luck, your harvest time will coincide with my days off and I could come give ya a hand during harvest. When you figure you're about a week from picking give me a yell and I'll do my best to give ya a hand for a day or two.
Pete
Pete
