Fall 2010 update

2010 was our second year, and was one of conditioning. The vines needed to grow, and we had to begin training them. I had a couple of conversations with Tyler and Kim from Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria, Minnesota, who reminded us that we should not let the fruit grow this year again, and instead let the plants' energy feed the vine, and let them grow deep. (Nevertheless, we decided to let a few clusters grow!)

The vines were very healthy, and grew like crazy! (I know - a very scientific term) We had a great deal of rain this year which frustrated a lot of farmers in the area (14 inches of rain in June alone), and wondered how the moisture would affect the vines, as they are planted on flat ground, rather than the traditional hillside. However, the moisture did not appear to harm the vines, probably because we have decent drainage.









So, that's it for this growing year. All we have left to do is trim back the vines and try and train them into a "T" shape for next year.

Mid-winter update

Not much has been happening over the winter as the wine continues to brew. "Brew" is perhaps not the right word, as it simply sits there and does nothing other than mature. I must admit to sneaking a little sample every so often, as I am curious about the taste. Around the beginning of January I took a little bit in a straw and put it in a glass. It has a rich purple color, and smelled pretty nice (I know, a real technical term). The taste was similar to grape soda, but without the fizz. It was definitely raw, and needs to mature even further. Perhaps it will be ready to taste by May. In any event, I will be stabilizing it (stop the possibility of re-fermentation) by the beginning of February.
Over the course of the winter, I had a chance to catch up on a lot of reading about vineyards, methods etc. and even joined the Minnesota Grape Growers Association. I did this because many of the Association's members are specialists in cold-climate grape growing and have a huge store of knowledge on the subject of viticulture in the northern climes. One thing I learned was that we should NOT have let the fruit grow the first and second years, and instead should have pruned it off. This allows the vines to strengthen and forces the nutrients back into the vines. Therefore, sad to say - we will have no fruit this year. Short term pain for long term gain I guess.