We’ve been shoot thinning for the past couple of weeks to enhance airflow through the canopy and generate uniform dappled sunlight to the clusters. Airflow helps prevent high humidity within the canopy and helps to control the spread of fungal infections. Dappled sunlight helps achieve optimal ripeness and fruit flavors.
Before Shoot Thinning
After Shoot Thinning
Shoot Thinning is performed by hand. For each 6 feet of cordon, we aim to leave 16-18 shoots per side.
In August, after we have a better handle with the size of the crop, we will perform cluster thinning to hone in on our target yield.
Bloom was observed in the vineyard on Monday, June 13th, which is approximately 1 week behind normal. This vintage seems to be catching up for lost time considering bud break was 3 weeks behind normal.
This Spring, we planted 4 acres or Muscat Canelli grapes and 19 acres of Corcorde grapes. Below are some photos and video clips of our crew installing the vineyard infrastructure.
To prepare the soil for the vineyard, we disked the soil, plowed it, and then smoothed it out. The ground was then marked where to plant each post. A 12 inch trench was dug where we planted each vine and then the soil was pushed back around each vine. All of these steps were accomplished within 1 week.
During week 2, the main line of our irrigation system was installed. The anchor posts, achors, posts, wires, and drip tubes were installed. Water was delivered to the vineyard within 13 days, and all of the vines were watered by day 15. Some of the soil had settled once it was watered, so we went back through and pushed more dirt around the base of each vine.
During week 3, the growth tubes were applied around the base of each vine.
Each winter, I try to inform our customers about how the season is progressing, challenges that we see coming, and my take as to how we are doing in the cellar. Again this year, our first concern is directed at the health of the vines.
The entire State was under a Winter Storm Advisory on the evening of Nov. 23, 2010. The forecast for our area was temperatures approaching 0° Fahrenheit. Until that date, we’d had an unusually temperate fall. A significant number of green leaves were still on the vine. Our harvest had gone longer than usual due to a cooler than normal growing season and so we were somewhat concerned about the susceptibility of our vines to the extreme cold. The latest bud hardiness numbers published by WSU showed that most of our varietals could be in jeopardy if temperatures reached negative numbers. Unfortunately, we did reach those critical temperatures (at least -2° F in our lowest, coldest sites). Since Thanksgiving, we have been generating bud damage levels from all of our blocks of grapes. The idea is that if we know what the level of damage is in each block, we can make the appropriate pruning adjustment for us to crop the grapes at the desired level.
The good news is that our particular area was spared from some of the more extreme temperatures that many of the other growing regions experienced. Most of our varietals received minimal to moderate levels of bud injury, and our ability to produce targeted tonnages is not in doubt. The bad news is that we did suffer significant damage to some of our key varieties, most notable would be Merlot and Syrah. We are hopeful that we can compensate our losses through pruning adjustments; however, the lower portions of the vineyards may be damaged to a level beyond that possibility. In addition, a couple of our Rhone whites, Rousanne and Marsanne, may not crop at all this season. On the red side, Zinfindel, Mouvedre, and Barbara all received major bud injury so we are anticipating that availability of those particular varieties might be extremely limited. I should note that we feel extremely lucky to have come through the event as well as we did.
A colloquialism that I often site to customers is that farmers do not need to make regular trips to Las Vegas because we gamble every day of our lives. This past year, with all of its botrytis issues and now the cold weather issues, is a prime example of what can happen in the coarse of a few months.
Based on our sampling information, we have commenced our spring work, which includes hedging and pruning the vines. We have started with Riesling, a variety with virtually no damage. As we move across the vineyard we will move into those varieties where adjustments will be necessary. The pruning strategy will be to finish with the most damaged blocks in order for us to have more time to observe the vines before decisions need to be made.
This year we will also be planting a new Riesling vineyard. With the winter damage comes the need to evaluate the nursery stock that we are purchasing for the planting. Greenhouse studies have already commenced to aid us in deciding if the plant material has been damaged and if so to what extent that injury has had on the viability of the plants. If everything looks good planting will commence late February.
Traditionally, we install the irrigation system and trellis just subsequent to planting so that by the first of May we will be able to start installation of the growth tubes (which serve as mini greenhouses). Growth tubes are placed around each plant to help stimulate the establishment of balanced, healthy vines. By the end of the Summer, the new vines should be established on the cordon wire, leading to the possibility of producing a very small crop in 2012. We are also contemplating the planting of a Concord vineyard if the plants are available. For those of you who may not be aware, we currently have 200 acres of Concord grapes that are sold exclusively to Welches for grape juice.
As we remember the 2010 crush, we will have plenty of bad memories based on the onset of botrytis and the subsequent crop loss. However, plenty of positive developments make 2010 memorable for the quality that will be found in the wines. The cooler growing season afforded us the opportunity to produce our first Pinot Noir. As we taste that wine, I am extremely confident that it will be an instant hit with our club members. I will let Marcus discuss the wines more fully, but as we taste these young wines in the cellar, we are convinced that the quality is good, if not stellar.
We will always remember that 2010 was the year we moved to Woodinville. The move has been very exciting. We have made many new friends in that venue and have found a staff that truly gets who we are and love to tell the story and have a strong belief in the quality of our wines. Some of the faces have changed over the year but Jim Loosemore has emerged as the face of that facility. Jim has been a club member since our first year in Prosser. He has spent a lifetime in the insurance industry, so the change of pace has reinvigorated him, in much the same way as this business has done for me on this front. We are extremely happy that Jim has come on board and he and his lieutenant, Brian Carter, are doing a great job with the tasting room in Woodinville.
Once again, I would like to thank you all for your support of our Winery and Family over the last year. We feel strongly that your faith in us will be validated again this year as we begin to figure out what other opportunities our presence in Woodinville will present. We wish you all the best in the coming year and hope that we have the opportunity to spend time with each of you in the coming year.
As harvest approaches, we need to accomplish a myriad of jobs in the vineyard to ensure quality, deal with impending problems, and achieve crop requirements. Below are a few examples of our current vineyard tasks:
Bird Control
Now that August has arrived, we are finally reaching the end of our powdery mildew preventative program. When véraison occurs, (the period when berries begin to color and soften), the clusters are no longer susceptible to infestation. With the building of sugars within the grape, comes bird pressure. We do several things to lesson that pressure:
1. We distribute a metallic tape, known as flash tape, throughout the vineyard. The breeze and the bright sun light, create a light show in the vineyard that is disturbing to birds.
2. Secondly we deploy Avalarms throughout the blocks that we traditionally have trouble in. These devices are solar or battery powered and give off amplified distress calls of the birds that habitually feed on the grapes.
3. We also deploy propane powered cannons in areas of highest pressure. These devices are mounted on a rotating platform and are propelled by the concussion of the device and fire bursts of up to three shots per set.
4. We also have some metallic magnetic birds, that we suspend above the canopy. The theory behind this measure is that the magnetic field given off by the birds promotes an uncomfortable feeling in the feeding animals causing them to move on to different venues.
5. One of the final measures to prevent hungry birds from pecking grapes is the use of netting. Bird netting is our maximum deterrent, and it is not deployed until we have observed a substantial amount of bird pecking. Over the years, we have discovered that certain locations and varietals are more susceptible to pecking, such as Zinfandel and Tempranillo. The Zinfandel block is located near cherry orchards and tends to attract lots of Magpies. Tempranillo is a thin-skinned, early ripening grape, and it attracts Robins, Magpies, and Starlings.
All of these measures should be in place before bird feeding begins near the end of August. Protecting the fruit from birds is critical for wine quality. Bird-pecked grapes and berries can harbor bacterial and fungal pathogens that alter the flavor of wine or juice.
Extenday®
Many of you are aware of our use of Extenday, a material that we use to amplify the intensity of sun light in the vineyard. It is a white tarp that is deployed on the floor of the vineyard, running between the rows of vines. This material is stored in the vineyard and is deployed at véraison. At the conclusion of harvest we role it up and attach it to the drip wire. The timing on the deployment is critical and needs to happen when véraison is occurring.
Crop Estimates
Another job that we take on at this time of year is crop estimates. When we start the season we have certain crop loads in mind for each variety. As the season unfolds, we may need to adjust the crop to a lower level of production. Because we fear over thinning, we usually approach the need incrementally. In the springtime, we use a process called Shoot Positioning to reduce the crop and better position the location of the fruit. Those targets may not have been attained. So now we go to the vineyard, count and weigh clusters, and really try to hone in to actual yields. Further crop reductions usually occur after véraison with the removal of whole clusters or portions of the cluster that may not ripen as early. Uniformity is always the key to the best wines. Crop reduction is a real science, and to elaborate beyond this point might be overkill.
Harvester Maintenance
One of our winter jobs is to go through all our harvest equipment and make repairs on wear items, so that during harvest the process goes as smoothly as possible. When spring arrives, some of that work might have gotten shoved to the back burner. So now is the time when we need to finish the process, as harvest is just around the corner.
I am sure I omitted a number of annual requirements, however we will discuss them later. Until then… cheers!
CELLAR TASKS
Harvest is anticipated to commence in mid to late September (a few weeks behind the average starting date). Nevertheless, there is plenty of prep work to do in the cellar. Below is a glimpse at our Winemaker’s Pre-Harvest Check List:
Many of our wine club members have asked questions related to cover crops, so I would like to elaborate on the issue based on my personal experience…
A cover crop is a crop grown to cover the soil – serving as a protective layer. Sometimes, it is tilled into the soil as a “green manure.” Other times, it is a living or dead mulch located on the surface of the soil. Basically, a cover crop can be any type of plant. The most common types are grasses, legumes, or grass/legume mixtures.
Cover crops play an essential role for vineyards, especially here in Eastern Washington. Without them, the topsoil would blow away & the weeds would take over. Depending on the type of cover crop used, they can also be beneficial by decreasing water runoff, enhancing infiltration, conserving soil moisture, supplying nitrogen, increasing nutrients & organic matter, improving the structure & overall quality of the soil, suppressing soil born diseases, attracting beneficial insects, & encouraging a diverse ecosystem.
Finding the right cover crop to grow can be quite challenging in the Yakima Valley because of the dry, arid climate & sandy soil conditions. Over the years, we‘ve learned a lot about specific cover crops & their interactions with vineyard sites.
In the past, we’ve tried many permutations. We’ve used Sudan grass, Vetch, & Austrian winter peas. All of these crops are annuals, meaning they grow from seed & do not grow over winter. They all increase the tilth of the soil through the introduction of organic material at the end of the season. (Good tilth refers to soil that has the proper structure & nutrients to grow healthy crops.)
The downfall with these cover crops is that they also increase the total available level of nitrogen in the soil, and wine grapes tend to be low users of nitrogen. Increasing the amount of nitrogen above certain levels can actually cause the vine to produce excess vegetative growth, which in turn, can adversely affect wine quality.
After discovering this issue, we decided to use a cover crop that incorporates perennial grasses. The product that we had the most success with was a blend of several perennial grasses named Companion. Because it was a blended product, it could adapt to a multitude of vineyard conditions, resulting in a highly adaptable cover crop that performed well in a multitude of vineyard environments.
Nevertheless, we found one major obstacle with Companion – rodent control. Eventually the floor of the vineyard became so undulating due to the incessant borrowing of the rodent and coyote populations, that it was difficult to transport equipment, such as mechanical harvesters or sprayers, at the optimal speed.
In 1997, we installed our first drip irrigation system. With this method of irrigation, a drip line was suspended beneath the cordon wire, and it delivered water to each vine via individual emitters. Before conversion to drip, we were using furrow irrigation, which delivered water with ditches. We also used sprinklers, which delivered water over the top of the vine, wetting the entire surface of the vineyard. With the conversion to drip, we lost the ability to irrigate the area between the rows, where we plant cover crops. With the change, we needed to rethink our strategies.
Our new strategy is to use rye, which is an annual grass similar to wheat. Rye grass can often be grown under conditions where other cover crops fail because it establishes quickly and grows throughout the winter. Rye is an excellent choice for soil protection and weed suppression.
At Airfield Estates, we plant the cover immediately after harvest. We utilize winter precipitation to germinate and nourish the cover crop. Once we have established a healthy stand between the rows and before the plants become overly dry, we kill the cover crop. The mulch left by the dead cover crop can be used to help prevent weed germination in that area for the rest of the grape growing season. Control is not always stellar, so from time to time it may be necessary to run a mower through the middles to keep weeds at bay.
This dialog basically exhausts Airfield’s experience with cover crops. In other regions, with other climatic and topographical influences at play, the discussion could be much different. In general, the cover crop must match the site and vine vigor. Growers need to be aware of cover crop and vine interactions, and they must realize how these interactions may change as the vine matures.
Written By Mike Miller
Airfield Estates Grape Grower
