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Notes From the
Vintner
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Welcome
to our column. We hope that you will return to
learn interesting notes on wine, and related
subjects. Wine is a great gift from God to be used
for the enjoyment of man. It is a food, and should
be treated as such. It is meant to lift up the body
and lighten the soul. 11/01/05
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Everyone likes to
go to the fair…and
when you win a mess of medals, well it is a lot more fun-er.
This year we won the following medals:
- 2 Best of
Show
- 5
Gold
- 6
Silver
- 2
Bronze
This was another
good year for us. So before we get started, let's have a
small glass of award wining wine.
Well it is time to get ready for the winter work at the
vineyard. If you have any young vines that still have grow
tube on…get them off. It is important that if your
replacement plant did not do well this season that you take
it back to two buds, and start again. You do not want weak
trunks on your vines. You also want a good burm under the
vine, and the rows clean. Planting a cover crop is a good
thing to do with the middles.
Check all your posts and replace any that are in need of
service. Remember that the post and wire support your crop
of grapes. The wires need to be tight and correctly placed
on the post for best support of the vines.
Now you have to plan your pruning. This is an art that you
have to work at to become good. Many vineyard people will go
through the vineyard and prune 90% of the wood. In doing so,
then they have to readdress the vine to make the final cuts
so as to allow the vine to produce the good yield. But by
getting most of the wood off the vine and taken out of the
vineyard, you are able to size up the vine for its best
crop. After the majority of the wood has been removed, you
then take the time to make the final cuts for the training
and development of the vine.
More on the art of pruning later. For now, let us enjoy
another glass and offer a toast to ones we love. The ones we
see each day, and the ones who are far
away…To them
!
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