The Grape Adventure
This is the log of me attemping to become a winemaker.
Phase I: Being a grape grower.
22 OCT 08 - Catching up
Well, it has been a pretty busy growing year.
In Summary:
a) I did not take a lot of pictures. Therefore, I did not document the explosive growth and large bunches (19 of them) that I had this year.
b) I did not do my regular "manual" pest control, resulting in an infestation of the skeletonizing grape worm, which is the purple and yellow (go Lakers) worm that starts as a marching line of small caterpillars and grow into large ones, ultimately becoming a purple and black moth, as seen in the lower pictures. I have heard that an organic pesticide called BT will work, but have yet to find a way to get it in CA. The top row was completely infested and eaten by October.
c) The harvest was early. In mid-July, due to the extreme heat waves, I had to pick all the grape clusters off the vines, since the grapes were ripe and the birds had found them and were eating them.
Ultimately, it was a great growing year. I need to prune this January and do a better job at training the vines so they grow along the wires. The top row, due to the looser soil, was the obvious winner in vine growth, as well as mature grape clusters.
Pictures from April:
The budding clusters
Friend of the vines
They came along nicely
08 MAR 08 - The Sleepers REALLY are awakening
I was out in the backyard this weekend and noticed some actual leaves poking out of the stalks. It looks like the vines are getting a 2-month head start over last year. They should be all over the wires by summer.
I also noticed that the weeds have gotten out of control in a more outstanding fashion than previous years.
The budding vines
The rootstock rebel coming to life
The weed infestation
But wait, there's more!
Weeds finding a home atop the slope
29 JAN 08 - The Sleepers are awakening
The vines went to sleep for the winter, losing all of their leaves. I recently pruned them all back and still need to remove most of the many buds that are already showing themselves.
The sleeping vines
Vine 25, already budding
What cold weather does to the leaves
19 SEP 07 - Enemy of the vines
Juicy
11 SEP 07 - Friend of the vines
I noticed a nice green spider on one of the vines. Is it the same spider from two months ago? Could be; it is a little bit bigger that the one from July.
Please eat the butterflies and moths, OK?
09 SEP 07 - Enemies abound/Vines are OK
I woke up this morning to find that several of my vines are getting munched on by caterpillars. They are the only ones, besides rabbits and deer, than could do so much damage. And since there are no deer or rabbits in my backyard, then I can only assume those plump caterpillars I saw from last month are hitting it hard.
Overall, though, the vines are doing well. I had to increase the watering so that they could survive the heat wave over the past few weeks. Vine 25 in the upper corner is still going crazy. It is large enough to reach all of the wires of the tier below it. Tier 2 vines are definitely doing better than Tier 1 vines. I am wondering if it is a function of the water that is flowing down the slope, or if it is due to the looseness of the soil that occurred during the building of the retaining walls.
The vines are on the wires
The rows on the wire
Someone's been eating my vines
Another victim
Vine 25, going crazy
A moth moulting while a spider investigates
Enemy spoor
22 AUG 07 - The wires are up
Now the taller vines can get some much needed support. I rigged myself a spinning jenny, but it didn't spin, so I guess it's just called a jenny. This helps the wire stay spooled once you cut the zip ties. I learned that the hard way the first time.
22 AUG 07 - Harvest time
Although I wasn't supposed to keep any grapes from this first year, I kept them on three of the vines. I was warned that they may put the vine under stress, since they are so young. I did notice two of them looking a little stressed, and the grapes were pretty dark and sweet, so I decided to have my first harvest. The third vine which held a grape is doing great, and is actually the only bottom 24 vine that will reach the top wire, once I get them in.
I also spotted some plump caterpillars hanging around. Gotta watch out for those, as they tend to blend in pretty well.
Always some green ones still hanging around
Bunch #2
I just noticed in this picture the red caterpillar on the left
The harvest is complete
Enemy:Mine
Butterfly or moth in the making
13 AUG 07 - The End Posts are in
After months of procrastinating, I finally got some new larger posts, and with some help from Anthony, I got them all in. They seem pretty sturdy. Next stop, getting the wires up without a "spinning jenny."
This time, it's gotta hold
Sunset on the end post
10 AUG 07 - Veraison!
From Wikipedia: The official definition of Véraison is "change of color of the grape berries." Veraison signifies the change from berry growth to berry ripening in grapevines.
While is it not going to amount to much in the end of this harvest, my three bunches that I have saved are starting to change color. The vines are also going crazy, so I had better put up those end posts and wires soon so they can have some support. For some reason, Vine 25, my only vine that I did not prune, is the largest of them all. Perhaps it is because of the looseness of the soil around the roots, since that was moved during the installation of the retaining wall. Either that, or the soil is pretty moist over there.
While I saw a few leaphoppers here and there, it seems the infestation period has passed for now.
The popping Syrah
A hint of color
The ripening begins
Some pretty dark fruit
I see you
Vine 25 is going off
Vine 25 on the right and the upper rows on the left.
18 JUL 07 - My first "harvest" and my first infestation
After consulting with my vine supplier, it was determined that the mystery
vine was merely the rootstock pushing through the graft, and the Syrah that
was grafted on top simply did not take. I was told my options were:
- Graft my own Syrah onto the rootstock, a whole new can of worms
- Have the supplier send me a new rootstock in the spring and move my “extra”
25th vine onto the row when the vines go to sleep, meanwhile pulling out the
rootstock.
I opted for number 2. I may try my hand at grafting, since I have nothing to lose.
The supplier saw the pictures posted here and stressed that I should remove all of my fruit since this is the vines’ first year and the fruit will stress out the young vines. I relented, mostly, and had my first harvest. I left three of the juiciest fruits on three vines, because these vines are doing very well.
Since the two rows of vines fit 24 vines and the minimum order was 25, I ended
up placing one vine further up the hill as an experimental vine. I did not
prune any buds and I didn’t intend on supporting it with a trellis.
Rather I was going to head train it, goblet-style, just to get some experience
doing it that way. In propping up Vine 25, I noticed some leaves were pretty
brown and delicate. I thought perhaps they simply were getting a little too
much water in that corner, since the neighbor’s water from atop the
hill tends to permeate that whole side.
Upon further inspection, I discovered that there was an army of caterpillars mowing the leaf and crawling along that one shoot. I trimmed that shoot and could only see the infestation there. I then found several other smaller infestations on other vines. I also saw some leaf-hopper or sharpshooters, as well as some larvae. Here comes the sharpshooter infestation. They sometimes spread the dreaded Pierce’s disease, which will eventually kill the vines.
So I am looking into organic methods to keep my vines alive, other than manually
picking all the bugs off.
The first "harvest"
Juicy Fruit remains
Dense bunch
The pest fest
Munching away
Younger munchers
'pillar patrol
The leafhopper
A smaller one
Leafhopper larva
Friend of the vines
05 JUL 07 - Keep on Keepin' on...
The vines are still going strong and some of the berries are getting nice and plump, while others appear to be limping along. They got a late start, but the vines still have several months of warm weather before a harvest would normally occur.
I found out where some of the leaf damage was coming from. Small green caterpillars were gorging themselves on some of the leaves and then folding one of the leaves in half in order to make a protected shelter for their pupae. I found 7 the other day once I knew where to look. I also found one small shell of a discarded pupa. They look to be some sort of moth.
I also get excited when I see spiders on the vines, as they feast on any little creature that try to munch on the leaves. In particular, I saw a nice green spider make a home on my tallest vine. I used to see this kind on my citrus trees, but it's nice to know that one has found a home in the vines.
Since the top of the slope above the vines needed some cover in order to prevent erosion and be more aesthetically pleasing, I ended up planting almost 30 plants up on the slope. Since the soil here is riddled with grapefruit-sized stones, it was no small feat. The plant list included, three 15-gallon Olive trees, 16 French Lavender, 8 Rosemary and two Cherry Laurels (one of which doesn't look like it's going to make it.) In order to truly eliminate erosion, I still need to plant (and buy) about 30 more prostrate rosemary plants as a ground cover. After that, I will install the drip system on the upper slope.
To Do: Complete installation of the trellis, including the four end posts and the wire.
Chubby berries
The biggest bunch
The many plants above
Some spots (but only on a few leaves)
The rogue vine is clinging on
Used to be a foe, now it's a friend
23 JUN 07 - The Mystery Persists
I still haven't heard anything from the grower about what the mystery vine might be. As you can see below, they are quite different. I have removed the grow tubes upon the recommendations of other winemakers, as I don't have persistent critters. I should have protected the vines when they were smaller. But they seemed to make it OK.
The Rogue vine
The Syrah
Rogue on the left
Also some of the little Syrah grape blooms that I let hang around are starting to show fruit. It is tiny compared to the older vines I have seen at local wineries, but it's nice to see that our vines actually produce fruit.
04 JUN 07 - Grow Tube array
It's probably later in the season than I should have, but I covered the young vines in grow tubes in order to protect them from all sorts of bad things, including deer (if they can get in my backyard) and high winds (which are more of a real threat). The grow tubes also train the vines to grow up towards the wire.
I also removed the four end posts that were planted with concrete, as the posts themselves were not strong enough to bear the weight of the wires. Getting the buried concrete out took some time and back work. I will have to dig deeper holes and plant beefier posts before long, as some of the vines are getting close to the lower wire already. I also had to remove all of the wire, as the fasteners on the end only let the wires through going one way, so the wires had to be cut off. Hopefully, the used wire can be recycled for something else.
It was a shame to cover the beautiful green growth and berries, but the grow tubes should benefit the vines in the long run.
The grow tube parade
Some of the vines are already peeking out
29 MAY 07 - More Growth
The vines are all awake and happy. I put in some bamboo stakes in order to help their upward motion. They are looking good. I am pruning off new buds and most berry clusters, keeping some out of curiosity. I can't wait to taste them.
21 MAY 07 - One of these things is not like the others...
As the vines started shooting, it appears that one of them is slightly different than the others. The leaves have a reddish hue, and the leaves are definitely more ivy-esque. I have contacted the grower and asked what he thought they might be, but have not heard a response yet. I am excited about the prospect of making little batches of wine blends.
Not like the others
18 MAY 07 - Shooting up like crazy
I came back from Prague to find the vines in full swing. I need to move the mounds out of the way and insert some supports, as well as the grow tubes.
In full swing
I want the world to know, got to let it show
07 MAY 07 - The first actual leaves
The vines are growing more vigorously that I had thought they would. I have started to remove over half of the new shoots that are emerging from the trunks, so that the available energy in the vine can be concentrated towards growing about three shoots quickly and strongly. Since, I am leaving for a week, I need to make sure these guys are going to be ready to go without my attention.
Before the pruning
03 MAY 07 - Happy birthday to me, and the vines
This week, I installed the drip system so that the roots can stay nice and moist for the first month or so. I am pleasantly surprised at how quickly the buds are growing leaves and stalks. The dull brown of the slope is about to be festooned with green.
We have been having some random April showers, so the roots are getting blasted with water about once a week, which should help them get settled in.
The drip is in
The leaf breaking out of the mound
The leaves emerging
26 APR 07 - More prep work
Throughout the week, I have been covering the vines with mounds of soil, which is a bear to bring up onto the slope. Removing rocks from the soils is also a little time consuming. Each vine gets about three buckets of soil, so 75 buckets back on to the slope is taking some time.
As I was covering the vines, I noticed that some of the seemingly dormant or dead-looking rootstock are starting to bud already. These warm San Diego days are bringing the plants back to life.
Once the buds break through the mounds, I am to clear the soil away from the vine and let it grow.
Montón de la tierra
The budding graft (the little light-colored nubs, not the sawdust)
22 APR 07 - Family Project Day, Part II
This morning, everyone came back to help with the planting of the vines and stringing the wire on the posts. Again, we were done in pretty good time. Thanks again!
The bundled rootstock was soaked overnight and is ready to be planted
The wires are up and the vines are in
Gotta wait a few years for the Loranger Syrah Estate Wine
This should be budding soon
21 APR 07 - Family Project Day, Part I
Today, everyone came over to help out digging holes and putting the posts in with concrete. It started late, but we got done in great time with help from everyone. Thanks, guys!
The posts are up and the holes are dug
Enough concrete? We shall see...
19 APR 07 - The terraced slope
The Wall is done!
18 APR 07 - Retaining wall #2
The posts are in.
17 APR 07 - Cutting into the slope
The retaining wall work began today.
05 APR 07 - A Crater where the tree was
I was able to post a tree on freecycle and craigslist. A guy came by and took the tree for his yard. It was nice to be able to find the tree a new home without making it into firewood.
After
Before
23 MAR 07 - The Grape Adventure - #2
Well, we attacked the slope this afternoon and cleared it of ice plant. I saw a little snake and all sorts of little critters whose homes we disturbed. Now we just need to remove some small bushes and the two trees (only one pictured at far left). Only about 18 of the vines will actually fit on the slope. The rest will go down in the planters in front of the existing retaining wall.
The bare slope
One of our little friends.
22 MAR 07 - The Grape Adventure - #1
The adventure began with ordering 25 vines of Syrah grapes from a vineyard in Napa in December. They are arriving soon. And I need to get the slope in the backyard ready in a hurry. I have interviewed several people to see about building a retaining wall in order to terrace the slope. After the sticker shock of a stone retaining wall, we have opted for wood.
