There is nothing quite like winter in wine country. Harvest is a colorful bustle, spring is a riot of newness. But winter is a time of stillness, when the vines are bare and the beauty of the vineyards isn’t of lush green against a backdrop of dusty yellow, but of stark black against the bold golds of mustard and green cover crops that line the rows.
I love it because it reminds me that even though it looks like there’s nothing going on—in fact, one could argue that to the untrained eye the vines even look dead—there is indeed precious rejuvenation happening way below the surface. These vines, which worked so hard to produce the lovely fruit they did, are now drawing the nourishment they need as they sink their roots even deeper into the earth with the promise of producing yet another round of coveted clusters come autumn. I find this reminder comforting as my own life vacillates between bearing fruit and lying dormant.
But when I checked in with Keith “during this slow time” (or so I thought), I found out that there’s more going on in the vineyards than I had thought. As much as I love to believe that winter is a time of rest, in reality Keith and his team are hard at work preparing the vines for the coming season. Each bare stump and flurry of canes tells a story of how the vine fared the year before, allowing Keith to make adjustments now to meet its future needs before bud break.
“So what, exactly, are you doing out there?” I asked Keith.
“The main focus is pruning,” he answered, quoting his viticulture professor in calling it the single most important viticultural practice in the vineyard. “As we’re pruning, we look at the cane length (ideally 4–6 feet) and diameter (ideally 1/2–inch at the base), identifying any short shoots or thin canes.” Indicators like these, for example, would mean that too many buds had been left on the vine the previous winter, robbing the vine of the vigor it needed to optimize the quality of its fruit. This year, Keith will prune that particular vine back further, leaving fewer buds to blossom into new shoots.
After pruning, Keith and his team make another trip around the vineyard to tie the canes and cordons to the supports and fix any posts and stakes and wires that need attention. It’s a lot of work, but as Keith points, it’s effort well spent. “A properly pruned and balanced vine will require less intervention throughout the growing season.” The decisions that are made right now, during the pruning process, will help the vine concentrate its growth into the primary shoots, allow for good air flow and filtered sunlight in the canopy, and protect the vine from extreme heat on hot days. “It’s a lot to ask of a grapevine, isn’t it? That’s why we use last year’s growth to help us make the proper pruning decisions for this year’s crop.”
“When it comes right down to it, we’re growing wine on those vines,” Keith said, explaining the ultimate reason for all their toil during a season that I’d always taken for tranquil. “It’s all about what’s in the bottle, baby.”
14 Comments
Wish I was taking a walk through your photographs. steph
I see life in your pics for sure. Good for you two for looking to the future of good vino in a bottle!
oh, thanks for the cooking class suggestion. I think that’s indeed a great way to introduce ppl to what I know best and build from there! I’m about to email you a book I bought last night…
Steph . . . That’s just what they’re here for, so enjoy your stroll ;-).
Bren . . . You’re so welcome! I’ll look forward to hearing how the class goes. And I’m curious to know what book you’re e-mailing . . .
I love the picture where the vines are all dark. I had no idea they work so hard even in the “off season”.
My first time visiting your blog… I think I’m gonna like it
Love the vineyard pics. Our friends live on a vineyard in Northern California. I suspect they’re doing similar things. Looks like a lovely place for a bistro table and a glass of wine!
RecipeGirl - where in Northern CA?
Lia - I ate 3 (THREE) bowls of soup tonight.
The weather has been nice here . . . I’ll take that walk tomorrow. We have a few people up here growing wine grapes. But the weather is so cold that it makes it difficult. Shingletown is the nearest town that has a winery that actually sells it’s wine. (I think).
steph
Wow! What a difference! All I see outside around me is white…more white, and more white. Even our trees are white from the never-ending snow.
I would LOVE to spend just one winter somewhere with the gorgeous colors you’ve shared. Thanks for that- it really makes me look forward to anything but white.
I’ve only been to wine country in the spring and fall. Now you’re enticing me to take a winter sojourn.
Still can’t get that darned “ga” at the end of “blog.”
Our snow is almost gone - yippee! The sun was shining and I didn’t need a lab coat for work. Hospice nursing today.
I’ve been to Napa/Sonoma in the summer only. Spent most of my time walking around. Oh, a visiting a few wineries - they sure close early.
steph
Pam . . . Neither did I!
RecipeGirl . . . I’m so glad you’ve joined us–welcome! And yes, it is a great place for a bistro table and a glass of wine :-).
Steph . . . See, now with the snow gone you can work off that soup ;-).
Erika . . . Glad you enjoyed! White is beautiful too, though. Although I know how you can really start craving color. Hang in there!
Susan . . . You’d love it out here in winter. And I promise, we’ll get your ‘ga’ back!
Thanks for sharing your scenes from the vineyard. Wish we were there. We’re gonna have to hit you up on some recommendations for pairing up particular Viet dishes with wine. Your expertise would greatly be appreciated!
Wish I could have someone like that come and look at our vines…. 10 minutes of his time would be a year’s education for me. The neighbor’s just told me to trim the vines down to 8 buds on 3 branchs…. within 1 week after the 2nd full moon.
I think there was something about dancing naked but I may have misunderstood that part…
Nice photo, nice post, I need to read more about it!
White on Rice Couple . . . I’d love to offer suggestions! In fact, I may just make that the subject of the next post . . . ;-).
Katie . . . Hey, I’m sure Keith would love to jet on over to France and help you out ;-). Seriously, though, I know how daunting it can be. I get overwhelmed pruning tomato plants and roses–I can’t even imagine being in charge of an entire vineyard!