Fulchino Vineyard

[AlFulchino]

sent to me by a customer:


'When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk,


we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.


When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all


get drunk and go to heaven!'


~ Brian O'Rourke

 

[OilnH2O]

Ahhh... Bless me Father!!

 

[AlFulchino]

Boire Field a small airport about two miles from my home reports this"



<TABLE>
<T>
<TR>
<TD align=middle =#ffffff>Maximum
Temperature
F (C)</TD>
<TD align=middle =#ffffff>Minimum
Temperature
F (C)</TD>
<TD></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD align=middle>-8.0 (-22.2)</TD>
<TD align=middle>-15.0 (-26.1)</TD>
<TD>In the 6 hours preceding Jan 16, 2009 - 06:51 AM EST / 2009.01.16 1151 UTC </TD></TR></T></TABLE>

 

[AlFulchino]

found this...apparently it was colder than i thought last evening


the first temp column is F and the2nd is Celsius

<TABLE><T>
<T>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>8 AM (13) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-11.9 (-24.4)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-18.9 (-28.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.4 (1029)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>7 AM (12) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-13.0 (-25.0)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-18.9 (-28.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.39 (1029)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>6 AM (11) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-13.0 (-25.0)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-18.9 (-28.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.37 (1028)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>5 AM (10) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-11.9 (-24.4)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-17.9 (-27.7)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.35 (1027)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>4 AM (9) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-11.9 (-24.4)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-18.9 (-28.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.35 (1027)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>3 AM (8) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-9.9 (-23.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-15.9 (-26.6)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.35 (1027)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>2 AM (7) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-8.9 (-22.7)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-15.0 (-26.1)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.34 (1027)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>1 AM (6) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-8.0 (-22.2)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-13.9 (-25.5)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.33 (1027)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Midnight (5) Jan16</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-6.9 (-21.6)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-11.9 (-24.4)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.33 (1027)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD></TR></T></T></TABLE>

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Looks warm compared to here! I walked home this morning from work, wasnt a real good idea as my face was frozen pretty good by the time I got home! (five blocks or so) I think the banks therm read -25 at five A.M. and then theres that wind chill factor brrrrrrr

 

[AlFulchino]

hahaha, i understand that i am not the coldest by far....just recording it for future reference to see if any other varieties bit the dust or show effects.


Cheers to you....i hope it warms up soon!

 

[farmer]

How many varieties do you have that may be pushing the limits of the cold? What arethe normal winter lows in your area? It would be a shame to loss any of them.

 

[AlFulchino]

we have about 14 varieties...most handle -20 to -35


but two of them only go to -15.....so at present because of snow cover in a worst case scenario i would be looking at cordon bud kill, but not the base of the trunk...ah the life of a farmer

historically our low is -5 to -10 but to be quite honest i have not seen them since i was 18 or 19, this is the first time in a while...typically we bottom out at 5 above to 5 below

 

[farmer]

We normally see - 20 to -25 as lows.. Lower then - 25 happens but not as often.
To be safe I really can't plant any vines that are not good to -25 to -30

 

[AlFulchino]

i hear you........and the choices get more and more limited.....we are at the first step in a fledgling industry...others were at ground level....still others will benefit from all of this experience


and for the record we did not get quite as cold last night:

<TABLE>
<T>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center>Latest</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>9 AM (14) Jan17</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-0.9 (-18.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-8.9 (-22.7)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.5 (1032)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>8 AM (13) Jan17</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-6.9 (-21.6)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-13.0 (-25.0)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.5 (1032)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>7 AM (12) Jan17</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-8.0 (-22.2)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-13.9 (-25.5)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.49 (1032)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>6 AM (11) Jan17</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-4.9 (-20.5)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-10.8 (-23.8)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.48 (1032)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD>
<TD vAlign=center></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=center></TD>
<TD vAlign=center>5 AM (10) Jan17</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-2.9 (-19.4)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>-9.9 (-23.3)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>30.47 (1031)</TD>
<TD vAlign=center>Calm</TD></TR></T></TABLE>

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hope your babies make it through the winter....It's always a crap-shoot around here to see what makes it...Makes for an interesting spring.

They will probably be alive, but not produce this year.

Good Luck!!

 

[AlFulchino]

i feel like george foreman w all his george's....1400 little al's

 

[grapeman]

Last evening it was -15F by 8:30. The Hi/Low had another -22.4 listed for a low this morning. I'm sure I had zeroed it for the day. Weird that it go the exact same temp as the night before, especially since they predicted warmer temps last night. Most places that I go have Millot listed as being good to temps lower than -15F. Time will tell for that variety and a bunch of others. I'm not freaking out at this point. I want to wait another month or so and then do a bud check for mortality. Also I will record the results but won't go pulling any out at this point. I only have greater numbers of the most hardy varieties. I only have like 25 each of the more tender ones. That being said, overall crop this year I expect will suffer in quantity.


It will give me a better idea of varieties I want to greatly expand numbers on. Hang in there Al and all 1400 little Als.

 

[AlFulchino]

i have something good/interesting to report regarding the Flex Tanks for any of you thinking about acquiring these in the future....while i have already reported that the closures are not my favorite design of the tanks ( the 50 gallon size) i have to mention that all wines are aging remarkably well( 3 months now), in fact the barbera is almost outstanding right now and this is a far far cry from my carboy aged barbera of last year in which that 18 gallons required a good ten months for the acid levels, mouthfeel and smoothness to reach to a borderline acceptable taste level, in fact it beats all my previous barbera from other years for this stage of the game...i am not sure that it is simply because of the flex tank and having 40 plus gallons in it as opposed to six gallons in a carboy....but the Flex tank does allow for a small amount of micro-oxygenation and i am leaning toward it being the tanks versus the glass ( and i am a big fan of glass ) other than that, i have done nothing different in my winemaking for the barbera, zin and sangi that are in these tanks...what i am saying is that i think the tanks are advancing the development of the wine beyond that of what the glass does...i am NO scientist and my thoughts can only be taken as anecdotal...maybe the bottom will fall out in the future ...but as of now this is my experience...since aging vessel cost us all good money, i need to report my experience

 

[grapeman]

Thanks for the update Al. I would suspect that it is indeed the tank being able to breathe that is allowing the wine to develop faster. I am filing all this great information away in my head for future reference.

 

[Wade E]

Good to hear buddy, nothing greater then having a great wine faster.

 

[AlFulchino]

it was a huge surprise to find the barbera progressing as fast as it has been...in glass i never found speed in aging an attribute of barbera before this time.

Rich...how did your frontenac and marquette fair w the cold? wasnt the temps ok for them?

Rich and Wade, i will be sending you some wine as soon as i do bottle...i have been really pushed back by the frequency of the snow storms

 

[Wade E]

Dont worry buddy, time is a wine thang!

 

[grapeman]

Rich...how did your frontenac and marquette fair w the cold? wasnt the temps ok for them?

I don't know yet Al, but I am not worried about either of them. I didn't take any samples yet of the canes- the danged snow is just to derned deep to "Wade" through. Comes up to the dark side where the sun don't shine............ We may get hit again Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday with more heavy snow. Oh Goody. I can't wait!!!

Both the Frontenac and Marquette are good to -30 something and things had hardened off and acclimated well before the cold.

 

[AlFulchino]

check out wisesolutions.net

they have a line of sanitizers targeted to the wine industry that is well worth checking out from what i just read in Wine Business Monthly, and they even have a pesticide that affects the carbon in the insects endoskeleton...and it meets the non-toxic requirements...usually pesticides affect the insects bodily functions....UC Davis is doing final tests on thsi product.....

as for the cleaning and sanitizing items they require no protectiv clothing and leave no trace of themselves on your equipment

seems pricey but could be cheaper in the long run in time and energy and results