This spring, we finally are going to train our cordons. The process is relatively simple: 1) choose your two thickest shoots, bend them along the bottom wire, and 3) tie them off. What it looks like when you start: What it looks like when you are done: One down, 486 more to go. (Time to… Continue Reading

The last of the blocks to harvest was also the largest. 70% of our 487 vines are Cab Sauv, and to harvest it quickly (on a hot Saturday morning), I enlisted the help of two of my neighbors and my lovely wife, Myrna. It went quickly, and I don’t have many pictures, but I did… Continue Reading

Our second harvest came shortly after the first, and we got just a bit more Cab Franc than we did Merlot. Testing put us at 23.3 Brix and 3.54pH and 0.9 TA. With such a small harvest, we ended up manually destemming and crushing this batch, as well. A few days later, after cold-soaking, I… Continue Reading

One of the most important decisions you’ll have as a winemaker is when to harvest. Some winemakers might be experienced enough that they could taste the berries and tell you when you do this, but for those of us who are new to this (and, I suspect, anyone who is science-minded), we have sampling and… Continue Reading

This year, we have decided to take on maintenance of the vineyard itself, with the help of our friend and neighbor, Rich Schmidt.  Dr. Schmidt is the proprietor and chief winemaker of Moose Mountain Vineyards (www.moosemountainvineyards.com).  Rich taught us how to properly prune the 2-year old vines to prepare for the 3rd year of growing.… Continue Reading