Starting a new vineyard

[cosmyccowboy]

And here is the high or South end where we used cross arms to move the wire out about 5 inches

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The #1 rule I learned about installing a trellis is don’t skimp on your posts, especially the corner posts. #2 when installing your corner posts dig your post holes at a angle so your posts are leaning backwards at a 10 degree or so angle

 

[ChuckD]

Ditto. Our struggle is keeping the weeds down in the vineyard. Some of my youngest vines are going to have to be "found" this fall. I sprayed herbicide but with all the rain we've had this year the weeds just keep on going. I only see bare dirt when we plow and till early in the year and I never see bare dirt in the vineyard

Will you plant grass eventually or just fight weeds from now until the heat death of the universe?

In WI every vineyard I have seen has permanent grass cover. Some have a mulched strip under the vines. You might plant cover crops like @GSMChris too. Some small grains could be planted and mowed once a year.

 

[cosmyccowboy]

I have put down a thick layer of pine straw in my small vineyard! I finally found a use for the long leaf pines in the yard!

 

[GSMChris]

As the seasons turn, I’m starting to think about when to take the grow tubes off my vines. For those who may not want to scroll back up, I’m in the Paso Robles area of Central California. Temperatures are going to be in high 80s low 90s for highs, mid to high 50s for overnight lows for the next week.

All of the grapes have grown above the 24 inch tubes, all of the ones that weren’t trimmed by the deer have reached or surpassed the 40 inch (give or take) cordon wire. The vines are still growing - no signs of leaves turning color or anything. I have ten tracking vines, two of each Varietal, and they grew an average of 1.25 inches this last week (I measure on Sundays). Average height is 6 feet 3 inches (Measuring the biggest cane which is not always the longest).

So I am getting, as per usual, conflicting advice from the local growers. So I thought I’d throw it out here.

1) should I start removing the tubes now? Or should I waiting until things cool off more and growth stops? Or should I wait for Winter pruning and do it then?

2) when I pull the tubes, assuming things are still green and growing, should I clean up the suckers, spindly branches etc. or wait until the pruning season in January.

Appreciate the advice

 

[VinesnBines]

For me, in Virginia, I should have pulled the tubes around Labor Day. I've been hindered with my injury so I'm hoping I can get them off ASAP. You can get them off at any point but if still hot, the lower leaves may cook in the sun. I don't think that will be harmful. You want the wood to start turning brown before cold weather.

After I pull off the tubes, I leave everything until pruning.

Hopefully someone in California can give you better advice.

 

[GSMChris]

So I think it’s time to post another series of pictures from the vineyard. We pulled all of the tubes in October and, based on advice from a neighbor, stripped off the leaves and twigs below the irrigation wire. Everything above the wire was tied to the stakes or the fruiting wire to get it off the ground and out of the aisles. The stripping was to accomplish two goals - ensure that the wood hardens up before the first frost (expected later this week) and to give us an easy way of seeing how solid each of the trunks is…

This first shot is from the south east corner - Primitivo in the foreground.

 

[GSMChris]

Next is a shot of the Syrah

 

[GSMChris]

Here’s the Grenache - it was hit the hardest by the deer

 

[GSMChris]

Next the Mourvèdre- probably the biggest grower of them all

 

[GSMChris]

And lastly the carignane- probably the biggest trunks and the most stubborn about growing grapes this year - I’m still finding new clusters

 

[GSMChris]

As you can see in the last two pictures, I’m putting down a thin layer of compost in the aisles prior to planting cover crops this weekend

Here’s the pile - I’d better get busy

 

[CDrew]

Outstanding. Looks fantastic. I am envious!

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Here’s the Grenache - it was hit the hardest by the deer

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Grenache has been a grape that has frustrated me my entire winemaking career thus far, mostly how easy it is for it to be super high in sugar and heavy on the alcohol and how it has next to no color pigments and frequently you struggle to get anything more than a light pink color out of it. I’ve made it as both varietal Grenache and put it into various GSM blends. I just don’t like working with it though.

 

[wood1954]

Here’s the Grenache - it was hit the hardest by the deer

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Before I fenced my vineyard a couple deer ate almost all my grape flowers in about two hours. That would have been my first full harvest. Good luck.

 

[Joe B.]

The Grenache will rebound, it has high enough vigor and yes I agree it is difficult to master as 100% varietal. I haven't done it yet, but having one of the French clones to work with does help out with the color. I have been really enjoying following this thread. I've been learning how to grow grapes and make wine mostly from the school of hard knocks. It looks like to did your research and got some good advice.

 

[GSMChris]

Hi Joe - Glad you are enjoying the thread... It has been fun documenting our journey here - and I have gotten some great feedback along the way.

Oh I am sure that the Grenache will bounce back - It has had about 6 weeks of growth without the nightly pruning. So I figure it can sleep all winter now and will start up in the spring. As for making Grenache wine - I've only tried it once and found it be be challenging as the Ph was high as well the Brix (and the resulting alcohol levels are nuts). I'm intending to use it primarily as a blending wine to make GSM - which in my case will be probably heaviest on the Syrah. I will also have the Carignane for use as a blender for both the Zin and the Grenache and it looks like it would make for a deeper richer red.

 

[GSMChris]

Well, it’s been quite a winter.

Normal rainfall here is 18 inches from July 1 - June 30th. Well, the total on my rain gauge is 32 inches - and another 2 inches is supposed to come this week. The biggest day, January 9th we had more than 8 inches. Why more than? Well it rained all night and my gauge, which holds five inches, overflowed before I could empty it. Then it rained 3 inches more….

Just to make life more interesting we also had snow for the first time this century according to my neighbor who has lived here since 2001.

As a result, the vineyard is completely saturated - as is most of our property.

A few pictures follow

 

[GSMChris]

Snow in the orchard

 

[GSMChris]

And in the vineyard

 

[GSMChris]

I ended up hiring two professionals to come prune the vineyard. Just ran out of time given everything else going on. A wide range of outcome - a not so great grenache vine…