Flowering has begun

Flower clusters on Rondo vines

Well, May was a strange month. Much cooler than normal. Only 11.7°C degrees mean air temperature compared with the three prior years being about 13°C. And whereas it started out dryer, it ended wetter at 112.5 mm compared with 60-70 mm in the last three years. These values are reported for Newport, only 7 miles away and on the water much like we are.  

UK getting warmer and wetter

This chart presents a comparison of annual averages for key meteorological
 indicators in the United Kingdom from 1961 to 2017. 

Statista has created an effective infographic to illustrate the findings of a new report showing what effect climate change has already exerted on UK weather. They wrote,

Irrigation of vineyards

Being just a tad paranoid about this prolonged lack of rain (although we had small amounts overnight the last few nights), I did a little research. I unearthed (pun intended) a study in Galicia that investigated if there was a benefit to irrigation of Albariño vines. Their conclusion: no economic benefit and some detriment to the product.

"As a consequence, gross incomes were not significantly increased by irrigation. The results obtained in this study provide useful information for saving water in agriculture, suggesting that irrigation is not a viable agricultural practice under the conditions of this trial."

https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/63

Equipment has arrived

We have a decent supply of equipment for home brewing and winemaking available right here in the west of Ireland in Galway. The order I placed arrived in two days. Amazing.

It's starting to look like a vineyard

Pergola completed, Alex took to cutting the grass. We've had trouble with the petrol-powered scythe; it would start fine and then cut out. The carburettor was clean, but it was obviously a fuel supply issue elsewhere. So the local fix-it guy suggested a new carburettor which Alex ordered from somewhere far away. Meanwhile, he noticed that the fuel line had a small filter. So he replaced it. Presto bingo it's working fine. So we'll have a spare carburettor when that arrives. Now, just a few more rows to mow and I can clear around the vines.

Spring work is nearing completion

Alex has almost completed the overhead pergola construction under the first 10 vines that reach 5 years of age this year. A few days ago, he cemented in the major support posts. On Saturday, he installed the cross poles. Very elegantly bent to shape so the tractor-that-we-do-not-yet-have can get around the corner.

Soil composition or association

Teagasc has analyzed the soil of Ireland and reported it on a website for anyone to access. This is what multiple samples in our region turned up:

Modern definition: Fine loamy drift with siliceous stones
Texture: Fine loamy
Substrate type: drift with siliceous stones
Substrate 1: drift
Substrate 2: siliceous stones

White Varietals and Choices

Swaths of Albariño vines on pergolas in Galicia

Unusual white varietals are making a comeback. Torrontes, Viognier, and Albariño are being brought back to life from ancient vineyards and making their mark as superb and lighter alternatives to Chardonnay (ABC?).

History of winemaking in Ireland

What an interesting surprise. I knew an article was going to be published as I did do an interview with the author, GABY GUEDEZ, but it was still quite a shock to scroll down and see myself quoted about growing grapes.... in an article entitled The Past, Present, and Future of Winemaking in Ireland. Gulp! Well, I'm in good company.

Particularly interesting was a reference to a study on The Feasibility of Ireland Becoming a Wine Producing Country Due To Climate Change published by the AcademicWino and written by James McWalter. His original blog post on his site no longer exists. He projects what will happen by 2030 and 2050 based on a metanalysis of the effects of climate change and suggests that Wexford is the place to watch for.

There's also a link to a Wine Goose Chase one-woman show about Ireland's role in the world of wine. We'll have to watch out for that, too.

Pergola in the making

The telephone pole support posts for the overhead pergolas for the first ten vines are in. Alex dug the holes, dragged the poles up the hill with a borrowed quad, and, with the help of a friend, righted the posts in the holes and cemented them in. They will be allowed to set for several days before the overhead poles are secured for the vines to be trained along them. This year, it will begin to look like a vineyard.

Soil structure

It's interesting that so many of the old prescriptive practices on soil and farm management are being debunked. It used to be that farmers were told they had to eliminate all weeds, till the soil annually to aerate it and fertilize routinely. Today we know, that tilling disturbs the natural soil structure, especially the mycorrhiza, and fertilization reduce mycorrhization. Using cover crops favours arbuscular mycorrhiza funghi. We are trying to disturb the soil as little as possible. We have also set aside swaths of land as a natural habitat to encourage wildflowers and grasses as well as insects and bees. It seems to be working.

Progress in the vineyard

Not only are the grapevines leafing and flowering nicely, but also the development of the vineyard itself - the trellises and supports for the vines - is progressing at a rapid pace and we are preparing to construct the overhead pergolas.

Spring has finally arrived

Rondo is most advanced

After weeks of cold dry weather, a few days of sprinkles was followed by a week of fine warm weather over Easter. Finally, the vines were ready to burst forth. All have done so now. The five-year-old Rondo and Solaris vines have leafed. The two-year-old Solaris vines have leafed. The Chardonnays are just beginning. The Pinot and Albariño vines have started leafing, too. There is life in the vineyard, and the donkeys are back in the field next door. Alex is preparing to erect the first of the overhead trellises and he has bought a gate wide enough to drive a tractor through. Thinking ahead.

Last planting of the season

Today, we awoke to brilliant sunshine and, hopefully, one of the last times we will be changing the clocks. So, we grabbed the remaining Albarino vines, some shovels, gloves, and knee pads, and headed into the vineyard to plant them. The buds were growing and it was time. Alex had pre-dug the holes. He distributed the vines as I got to work.

Brilliant day

3-y-o Solaris vine

We are experiencing an amazing weather week. No rain, light winds, and, today, brilliant sunshine. It was glorious. I walked up into the vineyard to check on progress as the plum and cherry trees are in full bloom already.  Lo and behold, although the 5-year-old vines had not yet leafed, the first leaves were unfurling on the three-year-old specimens. Interesting.

Pollinators and grapes

The headlines last month were dire. "Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'" warned The Guardian. "The rate of insect extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds, and reptiles." That is such a definitive and frightening statement. 

The analysis of 73 historical reports, published in the journal Biological Conservation, concludes that intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines, particularly the heavy use of pesticides.  They provide a few highlights of the exhaustive analysis:

Highlights

• Over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction.
• Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and dung beetles (Coleoptera) are the taxa most affected.
• Four aquatic taxa are imperiled and have already lost a large proportion of species.
• Habitat loss by conversion to intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines.
• Agro-chemical pollutants, invasive species and climate change are additional causes.

Spring is trying, then retreating

Several weeks ago it was warm enough to be out in T-shirts. Alex noted that the new chardonnay vines were sprouting and quickly planted them out in the field. Then he planted out the Pinot vines. There is still a batch of Albarino bare root vines that are heeled in to plant and trellises to build. But he was off buying cattle for his mother today so it will have to wait. Tomorrow, we're doing a webinar about sailing in Galicia, so it will have to wait again. Oh well, we have a few days open next week I think.

The bumblebees were out in force, feeding on the heather during the good weather. I counted 13 queens on one bush one day, mostly Bombus leucorum. It was good to hear their buzzing in the garden. The heather bush was the first thing I had planted when we were building the house. So glad I did. But I was also glad to learn that grapevines are not dependent on bees for pollination. The news about the collapse of the insect populations last week was alarming. More about that another day.

Cover crops and companion plants

A vineyard with cover crop between rows.

My last post dealt with underground fungi that form symbiotic relationships with grapevines. Today, I'm investigating cover crops and companion plants that can be grown with the vines to help promote healthy soil structure and nutrient exchange and perhaps even protect against insects and disease. Cover crops have been used for millennia and are becoming more popular again with the advent of organic farming and the desire to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Grapevines in partnership with fungi

I've been reading a fascinating book called Mycophilia by food writer and cookbook author Eugenia Bone. She stoked my interest in everything mushroom. I have been most interested in the symbiotic relationship between underground mycorrhizal fungi and photosynthetic plants above ground. Some fungi serve to remove and clean-up diseased and dying plants. Others have symbiotic relationships with specific plants they tend to. Their root systems get intertwined, the plants delivering sugars to the fungi, the fungi extracting minerals from the soil and delivering them to the roots of plants.