Wine country fires

After

Before

My heart goes out to all the Californians whose lives are completely disrupted by the horrendous fires raging through Napa and Sonoma. Dry conditions and strong winds caused such rapid escalation and devastation. More than 50,000 acres engulfed in Napa. Many injuries, at least ten known dead and the toll is likely to rise.

They said the grape harvest has already been completed for most, but the impact on the wineries and vineyards is inestimable at this time. Growing grapes and making wine is a labor of love. Many livelihoods and lives will have been destroyed by this tragic development.

From grapes to raisins

Picking some red grapes

The red grapes we had this year were small but very tasty. There were no white grapes on the three year old vines at all. The new vines are all alive and doing reasonably well. The vineyard itself is terribly overgrown, but I plan to go up and dig out the biggest of the weeds and clear around the plants. Then I plan to select out the best main shoots, which have already become woody. I have to wait to prune until the plants go dormant. Next year will be the real test I believe. Meanwhile, the tiny grapes are shriveling into raisins.

Wine statistics

From Wine Time on Facebook. 

We have grapes!

We returned after two months away sailing in Spain to find the vineyard overgrown with grass and vines trailing every which way. But all the new vines have survived and we have grapes! Our three-year old Rondo vines are producing sweet, albeit small, red grape clusters. We have not found any white grapes yet.

Our trip to Galicia Spain, home of albarino wines

Alex and I spent two months cruising on our boat in the northwest region of Spain this summer. It was a remarkable trip for so many reasons. First, the Rias Baixas in the region south of Finisterre are a superb cruising area, with multiple Rias or inlets that have an interesting coastline, lovely old villages and towns, beautiful barrier islands, the best seafood in the world, temperate weather, and fine wines. Oh, and it's not very expensive.

Daria's Vineyard included in an article about winemaking in Ireland

A very interesting article written by Gaby Guedez for The Taste magazine on "The past, present and future of winemaking in Ireland" features this blog and our effort. We are honoured to be included in such a prestigious media outlet and well researched and written article. Many thanks, Gaby. We will keep you abreast of our progress.

http://thetaste.ie/wp/the-past-present-and-future-of-winemaking-in-ireland-july-edition/

Success in the new plantings

It's nice to report that all the newly planted vines have taken, have leafed and grown to about a foot tall. That's a relief. Even the Chardonnay test vines have sprouted and actually look more vigorous than the others. Yea!

The original vines planted in 2015 have grown massively this season, as everything else seems to have done, and are flowering profusely, both red and white. We may actually have a small harvest this year. Next year we must prune without reserve. First, we have to learn how.

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