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.