Visiting the vineyards

Over the last week I've been spending a lot of time bottling for the wineries I work for part time and working on our secretive new project for new packaging. Details to follow..... Fortunately on Saturday between rainstorms I was able to get out and actually spend some time in the vineyards.

This time of year we're able to get an idea of several things, first of all we can see our first hints at the crop load that we're looking at for the fall. We're making decisions about how much foliage we want to have on the plants, looking for insects, and those dreaded diseases. By now we can see what the vineyard's overall health is for the early part of the season and begin tweaking our treatments to match.

As a winemaker it's fun because we start to get at least a little excited at the thought that harvest is only about 3 months away. Maybe excited is the wrong word, perhaps terrified is a better description. We start thinking barrels, tanks, bins, yeast, and enzymes. All of those little details start to sneak up on you more quickly than you would imagine. We start to spend time gazing longingly at equipment catalogs and lists of available yeast strains for this fall. This all ends up being shoehorned into the day to day activities of a winery. Writing price quotes for customers, taking phone and internet orders, and cleaning up in the office after your puppy forgets his house training.

Honestly though, as I stood in the vineyards and watched the summer rainstorms roll across the valley I was reminded of how lucky I am. I can't imagine that most people can stand at their job and see truly beautiful moments on a daily basis. To see the miracle of plants growing and see a product through from a sprout in the ground to someone standing there enjoying a glass of wine in the summer sun is truly thrilling.

So back to the vineyard. The grapes are in the late to middle stages of flowering. We can see lots of new growth with little leaves springing out all over. I've included a photo of what the flowering grapes look like. The little clusters are forming nicely, the crop load looks like we pruned properly, and the bugs are steering clear for the most part. Things look great and if the rains let up later in the month we'll be just where we want to be.

As I headed down the hill to the house raindrops began to bounce and roll down my windshield forming little rivulets. A mist settled across the vineyard and for a moment or two it looked like the classic pictures of Sonoma or the Willammette Valley. Not a bad place to be on a Saturday afternoon.

Oh and one more very important item! Sunday is Father's Day and we'll be pouring at Savor Idaho in Boise at the Idaho Botanical Gardens. Tickets are still available and we hope to see you there!