Nothing wrong with those clusters Dave! Sure beats my lowly hail beaten crop for this year..... 
Missoula Vinyard
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Harvest won't be that far away now Dave. Good luck the rest of the year. Hopefully you can make a bit of wine this year.
Harvest Time!!
Funny - picked our grapes LAST year on this date, too! Hard freeze - our first this fall - down to 26 according to the WX man.
(Oh...
Go Cards!)
Funny - picked our grapes LAST year on this date, too! Hard freeze - our first this fall - down to 26 according to the WX man.
(Oh...
Go Cards!) 
Very nice! They look great!
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I hope you got enough this year to make at least a small batch of wine. You certainly have earned it.
Rich, last year we got about 6 gallons - maybe 5 1/2 of our grapes with the rest the "top off" of other wine. I did NOT do a MF - and wish I did, since it is a little sharp, that's the TA - but not bad. This year, I had a row of the bird netting that a couple of flickers got into and pecked away the cloths-pins holding them together and got into the rows. Several vines that were just - literally - picked clean. So I got enough for maybe 3 gallons of wine, when it is all over. I'm at the "must" stage, had to add sugar - to bring the brix up to 24 from 18. (Last year, my brix at this time was 22. The year before some vines up to 26. We had a lot of rain in September and I'm wondering if that had a lot to do with the low numbers - cloudy and wet and cold) And, the ph is within limits - 3.3; TA is at .90 so will do a Malolactic Fermentation - didn't do that last year. But thanks to Mike, I'm up on my chemistry this year!
It will be good - and in Montana, that can be wonderful!
It will be good - and in Montana, that can be wonderful!
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Making a cake
SG is 1.000 and so pressed today - about 3 1/2 gallons of must which is just about half of what last year's production yielded. Tried a new yeast - VIntner's Harvest, CR-51. Usually I've used Lalvin but this was recommended. Nice garnet color, lees already settling out. Will yield only abut 15 bottles but it should be good. Will start the MLF and see how that goes!
SG is 1.000 and so pressed today - about 3 1/2 gallons of must which is just about half of what last year's production yielded. Tried a new yeast - VIntner's Harvest, CR-51. Usually I've used Lalvin but this was recommended. Nice garnet color, lees already settling out. Will yield only abut 15 bottles but it should be good. Will start the MLF and see how that goes!
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With that amount of cake leftover you should have had 6 gallons! Press harder!
Looking good Dave!
Looking good Dave!
That's amazing! Great to see you with a vintage. I'm very jealous.
Ahhh... "patience!"
Bud Break 2014
I notice this is a day earlier than last year - but in spite of the fact we haven't had a late frost in late April/early May this year(Oops ...now, watch: a late, LATE frost at the end of the week!
)... bud break is about the same time each year. Shown here is Marachal Foch (the first two pics) and Leon Millot (last picture). The little leaves show so much promise!
The Pinot Noir and Reisling are running sap out of the pruning cuts, but just a few swelling buds for the most part. They are touch and go but part of a long-term experiment.
Sometimes I think growing grapes in Montana is just a means to keep a positive outlook!
I notice this is a day earlier than last year - but in spite of the fact we haven't had a late frost in late April/early May this year(Oops ...now, watch: a late, LATE frost at the end of the week!
)... bud break is about the same time each year. Shown here is Marachal Foch (the first two pics) and Leon Millot (last picture). The little leaves show so much promise!The Pinot Noir and Reisling are running sap out of the pruning cuts, but just a few swelling buds for the most part. They are touch and go but part of a long-term experiment.
Sometimes I think growing grapes in Montana is just a means to keep a positive outlook!
That looks fantastic!
Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah
Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah
Happy Mothers Day!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
Yes, Mother's Day in Montana!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
Yes, Mother's Day in Montana!
Crap. That's not good!
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Bah Humbug!
Keep em closed up as long as possible!
Not as bad as it looks - the snow was gone by noon, but it turned off clear and the next morning we woke up to 28* and frost! The leaves are a little nipped, but only time will tell if it got the whole bud... we'll see! And this, of course, on the day the gum'mint released the latest "the sky is falling even faster 'n we thought" report.
For those new to the thread, when people ask why I'm growing grapes in Montana I tell them "I'm betting on global warming!" ::
For those new to the thread, when people ask why I'm growing grapes in Montana I tell them "I'm betting on global warming!" ::
I'd better get on the ball, or else I'll have little between "bud break" and "harvest."
Got the final pruning a couple weeks ago, then because of the bird issues last year, got the bird netting on sooner - about the 2nd week of August. Might have been early but there were two flickers that were eyeing the young, green berries and I had flickers last year that got more than half my "crop."
The pic's are first, of the netting, with marachal foch in the foreground, second of Leon Millot, third is my last Edelweiss vine, and the last is one of the Pinot Noir vines. Only a few of those left from the 25 I started with - but, hey! This is fun, right!
Got the final pruning a couple weeks ago, then because of the bird issues last year, got the bird netting on sooner - about the 2nd week of August. Might have been early but there were two flickers that were eyeing the young, green berries and I had flickers last year that got more than half my "crop."
The pic's are first, of the netting, with marachal foch in the foreground, second of Leon Millot, third is my last Edelweiss vine, and the last is one of the Pinot Noir vines. Only a few of those left from the 25 I started with - but, hey! This is fun, right!
Only a few of those left from the 25 I started with - but, hey! This is fun, right!
Damn straight! They look great! Good to hear from you.
Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah
Damn straight! They look great! Good to hear from you.
Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah
Looking good Dave!
