Braun Grape Hoe Test

Somewhere between putting in our endposts:

• Days of Pounding End Posts
• End Post Pounding Help in the Vineyard
• The End of End Post Pounding

and putting in our earth anchors:

• Augering Anchors
• How Long Does It Take to Put in Ground Anchors

we were able to finally test the Braun Grape Hoe that Hans brought to our vineyard way back in early June.

A grape hoe is one of the essential tools after planting a vineyard because the weeds will come up in no time. We started taking care of the weeds in 2013 using a manual hoe. This is not an option. Then in 2014, we began weed wacking, which is not recommended, but did get the job done. A grape hoe will greatly aid our job of keeping the weeds at bay, so now we will have one more tool in our arsenal.

How Long Does It Take to Put in the Ground Anchors

On the assumption that years from now, or may be even a month from today, it will be important to remember how long it took us to get the ground anchors into the ground, I thought I would put together this blog. On Saturday, December 13th, we hooked up the auger that we borrowed from our friends. Rick mentioned that he bought the auger in 1974 and they have used it since then, that's 40 years ago! Rick also mentioned that when the auger spins, it spews out oil, so stand back!
The first thing that we did was to put a mark on the ground where the anchors will go and then we put the "gizmo" that our other friend, Dave, devised that we used to drive the earth anchor into the ground. The anchor is first positioned into the pipe and there is a pin that holds the anchor in place at the top of the pipe. The bottom of the pipe that gets driven into the ground has a little notch to hold the anchor in place.

We were able to do about 10 of these until we ran into a problem. Rocks! They don't call where we live Stonington, for nothing. We mangled 2 anchors and broke 1 anchor before we decided that the rocks were winning. We remembered that Rick and Russell mentioned that we might have to use the auger and they loaned us two different diameter augers to do the job. So we first augered all the holes and then went back to put in the earth anchors. Doing it this way, we were able to do the south end of the field in 2 days and the north end of the field in two days.

Just in time, it looks like a big rain storm in looming in our immediate future.

Bottling in Seattle

Our son, Brett, and daughter-in-law, Laura, are visiting us, flying out from the West Coast to be here with family for the holidays. They told us stories about how they volunteered to bottle wine in Seattle in October, an activity that we heartily endorse. They went to the Woodinville area where several wineries banded together to contract for a bottling line. Brett mentioned that they worked for Patterson Cellars and Finn Hill. Our son was working on uncrating the pallets full of bottle cases on to the conveyor and Laura functioned in many capacities including uncrating the boxes. Together, they put in 12 hours of work on the bottling line and said that it was a very physically taxing job but they would do it again.
I read more about the wineries on their website: Finn Hill and Patternson Cellars.

Wet Dog or Wet Wool Smell in Wine

Well, it is not so easy to track down exactly what this reaction involves although Tom Stevenson's description in The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 5th Edition of the wet dog or wet wool smell is often quoted on the Internet:
          These aromas are heat-generated volatile sulphur faults involving the           retro-Michael reaction of methional, which is thermally unstable and           evolves rapidly into acrolein and methanethiol, which are responsible           for the so-called wet-dog and wet-wool aromas and a stronger cooked-           cauliflower smell.
And many people reference the following URL for almost the same explanation:
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/taste.htm
I had no idea that this topic was rampant on the Internet, it is also a reaction involved in heated wort in beer making. I'm interested in seeing the chemistry and not only the description of the chemicals so my search continues, or I could just break out my Organic Chemistry books. But, hubby to the rescue. He looked up from his computer long enough to focus on my problem. To clarify what a retro-Michael reaction is, here is what the chemistry looks like according to Tom Stevenson's explanation:

A retro-Michael reaction is the opposite of a Michael reaction, so the products formed in the retro-Michael reaction can be the starting materials in the Michael reaction, which in this case are acrolein and methanethiol.
Retro-Michael reactions can be catalyzed in either a basic or an acidic medium and since we are now talking about wine, this particular retro-Michael is being catalyzed in an acidic medium, typical wine acidity being between pH 3.3-3.9. The barrier to the retro-Michael reaction occurring is lowered when the temperature is raised, which explains the thermally unstable nature of methional.

I learned a lot of interesting factoids while surfing the Internet. For example, methional is the notable flavor in potato based products like potato chips. Acrolein is a colourless liquid with a piercing, disagreeable, acrid smell and methanethiol is a colorless gas with a distinctive putrid smell.
Reference:
1. All structures were drawn by the freely available drawing program from ACD Labs called ACD/ChemSketch Freeware.

The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 5th Edition

A couple of years ago, our Greek friends gave us this book for Christmas. It is a huge tome written by Tom Stevenson and I found some information on Wikipedia. It weighs in at 5 pounds 11 ounces, so it's really not a book you want to read at night in bed and it is required reading for the Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and Cape Wine Master examinations.
I picked it up a few weeks ago and began thumbing through it and stopped at the comprehensive Tastes and Aromas section which contained a listing of aromas and their chemistry beginning with acacia and ending with yeast-complexed. A while back, I put together my own list of Post-Bottling Aroma Defects, which now seems very incomplete. But what caught my eye was the description under Wet Dog or Wet Wool which went:
          These aromas are heat-generated volatile sulphur faults involving the           retro-Michael reaction of methional, which is thermally unstable and           evolves rapidly into acrolein and methanethiol, which are responsible           for the so-called wet-dog and wet-wool aromas and a stronger cooked-           cauliflower smell.
My husband, in a former life was an analytical chemist so I asked him about the retro-Michael reaction. He said "Blah, blah, blah", so today, I'm doing the research on what exactly is a retro-Michael reaction. Stay tuned since I'm being pressured to get dressed for working in our vineyard. We are still putting in our ground anchors.

Greeks Bringing Wine: 2011 Uranos and 2012 Kyklos

This past weekend, we had our Greek friends over for a distinctly Greek dish made with quince and lamb which I tasted for the first time at their home. The quince were a gift to us from the Holmbergs, of Holmberg Orchards, who have the best apples in the area. We secured these quince when we returned their Extreme Drive post pounder which we borrowed for most of the month of November. The quince is an extremely aromatic fruit that looks very much like a yellow pear. We were told, however, that they cannot be eaten raw because it is just like eating a green olive, it will make your mouth pucker for days because of its astringency. But when it is cooked in butter and then braised with lamb, it is a marriage of flavors that is amazing. We also made some Ellinikos Lemoni Patatas (Greek Lemon Potatoes) and horiatiki, Greek Salad, although when one of us forgets to put the Kalamata olives in the salad, how Greek can it be?

Our friends who live in Boston for part of the time, brought 2 bottles of Greek wine, from a wine store near them that carries a huge selection of wines from Greece. They brought 2 bottles, one was a 2011 Uranos made from the Xinomavro grape and the other was a 2012 Kyklos made from the Agiorgitiko grape. They both went with the food and we thought that the Xinomavro had a little more complexity and depth of flavor, which was contrary to what the sales person told our friends. I found this very interesting article about the winemaker, Apostolos Thimiopoulos. Xinomavro means "sour black" and the Uranos wine made in Naoussa has a natural acidity, tannin structure, aromatic flavour profile.
The other wine that we enjoyed with our meal was the 2012 Kyklos Agiorgitiko made by winemaker Yannis Voyiatzis in the Peloponnese. More about the Agiorgitiko grape to come.

Augering Anchors

Mother Nature has been giving us some days off beginning with last Saturday when we had 2-1/4 inches of rain and then on Tuesday and Wednesday when the cumulative total was 2-3/4 inches of rain, so in one week's time, we have had 5 inches of rain. I know that this is nothing compared to what California has been having but this is a lot of rain in a short time for us. Our fields have been so dry that the soils have soaked up this rain and our tiling has removed what was in excess of field capacity.
Nice days are back again, beginning with yesterday when the temperatures were in the 30's with no wind so, it was a work day for us. Now that the end posts are in the ground, we need to think about putting in the ground anchors.

We marked where all of the ground anchors should go and then went to Gales Ferry to borrow an auger from out friends.
Today, we are hooking up the auger to our Landini:

Health Concerns and Wine

Health Information
• Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
• Do you suffer from shyness?
• Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. It can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.
You will notice the benefits of Cabernet Sauvignon almost immediately and, with a regimen of regular doses, you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.
Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living.
Cabernet Sauvignon may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use it. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.
Side effects:
Side effects may include:
Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.
Warnings:
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to think you can sing.
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
Please feel free to share this important information with as many people as you feel may benefit!
Now just imagine what you could achieve with a good Shiraz ...............
Our friend sent us this in an email and it was just the right thing to brighten up a soggy day in the Northeast!

2010 Richard Leroy Noëls de Montbenault Chenin Blanc

We recently had this "mystery wine". My husband was testing my knowledge of wine varieties. My first taste of this wine had me totally confused, I thought the wine was very disjointed. Although the nose was very fragrant, I tasted a bit of oxidation. My second guess was Chenin blanc and I was rewarded with a nod from my husband. This is another one of the white wines that we received in our case of wine from Weygandt Wines, courtesy of Warren Leonard. The wine was initially a bit on the cold side and as it warmed up, the fragrance from the glass was incredible! I detected some "ume-shu" (plum wine) which took me back to when my Aunty in Japan made her own plum wine from plums growing in her yard. There is a decided pineapple aroma and also some anise. In other words, the nose on this wine just goes on and on. The flavors become more integrated as the wine warms up so this is one of those wines that you want to savor and drink very slowly.

Getting Ready to Use the Grape Hoe

In looking at my own blog posts (this is a good reason to write a blog), it appears that Hans and Doug of H&W Equipment for Vineyard and Winery, came in early June to drop off the grape hoe for us to test. But using the grape hoe presented us with a Grape Hoe: Catch-22 because we needed to get our line posts into the ground.
We soon learned that pounding in our line posts was going to take a good portion of the summer as we rotated the Atlas Copco post pounder with our Rears Pak Tank and our Ferri mower on to the only narrow tractor that we own, our trusty Landini. That is how summer slipped away.

We now have most of our line posts in the ground and have even finished putting in our end posts, so ready or not, we must use the grape hoe!
Today, my husband was busy configuring the grape hoe so that he can use it, which meant that he had to properly connect all of the hydraulic lines including two lines that go back to the front of the Landini which returns the hydraulic fluid to the sump, which will cool the heated hydraulic fluid in the lines. Using the grape hoe also required that he modify his Landini a little bit. He put in a 12-volt fused outlet for the electric overhydraulic valve switch, also known as the panic button. The panic button is used to complete the circuit to the valve that controls the weeding knife. I don't quite understand all of the mechanics and my husband is currently plugged into his laptop so I'll report on the details later.

The End of End Post Pounding!

Here is what we are thankful for: That we have friends who are generous enough to loan us their post pounder and we have friends who generously give their time to help us. We have now put in our 72 end posts, 36 on each end of the field. And as Murphy's Law would have it, the penultimate post made us use our back hoe to dig a hole to remove a burial of stones before we could put the post in.
But, it is done!

2010 Les Granges Paquenesses Savagnin

Recently, my husband opened this bottle of white wine and challenged a few friends and me to identify the grape. I thought that I immediately detected a little bit of oxidation. My friend identified citrus notes. We pondered about the grape variety. Then my husband made it a little easier for us, "New World or Old World", he said. Still puzzled. In the end, we gave up. We would never have guessed that we were drinking a grape variety called Savagnin.
This bottle of wine came as part of a one case booty sent to us by Warren Leonard, assistant manager at Weygandt Wines in Washington, D.C. My husband asked Warren to select a few wines from their inventory, consisting of 8 reds and 4 whites including a few bottles of Pinot blanc with the average price per bottle being under $30.00. We have been tasting through the case of a few eclectic wines including this one.
I looked on line to learn a bit more about the 2010 Les Granges Paquenesses Savagnin. The savagnin grape is used in wines made in the Jura region of France, a cool climate wine region located between Burgundy and Switzerland. Loreline Laborde is the winemaker at Les Granges Paquenesses. Her winemaking style is pure and rustic, working everything with her hands and her horse! I'm glad that Warren rounded out our case of wine with this savagnin, any time we can expand our knowledge of the world of wines, I'm in.

End Post Pounding Help in the Vineyard

We had the help of our friend for two days and it is amazing how many more posts we can get into the ground with the help of one more person! On the first day, the weather was quite beautiful, but on the second day, the winds were howling and it was bitter cold so he was quite the trooper to hang in there and help us. We were out there again today and without the howling wind, 40 degrees can be quite bearable!
While we were working, we saw in broad daylight, 3 deer sauntering and grazing at the north end of our vineyard. We called our friend who hunts our land to let him know about our siting. I was able to catch two of the three intruders on my camera.

Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

A few days ago, our friend sent us a link to a new grape pest that has been seen in Pennsylvania. Once you know where to look, information about the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) can be found everywhere on the Internet. This particular article says that the spotted lanternfly can impact industries ranging from lumber to wine.
The adults and nymphs of the spotted lanternfly feed on phloem tissues of foliage and young stems with their piercing and sucking mouthparts and excrete large quantities of liquid. This excreted liquid is high in sugar content that can harbor mold growth, which could hinder plant growth or even cause death.
Knowing the life cycle of the spotted lanternfly is helpful in trying to identify the insect and limit their damage. I put together this life cycle diagram from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture article on the Spotted Lanternfly.

The adult form of the spotted lanternfly is rather beautiful:

2011 Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages

Recently, my husband made a recipe that he found on the Wine Berserker Forum called Monkfish Saltimbocca This is his new favorite recipe because it was easy to make and delicious! He took some major liberties with the recipe because he wasn't able to find monkfish so he used hake and instead of parma or serrano ham, he used prosciutto. Then we paired the dish with this 2011 Joseph Drouhin Macon-Village. Yes, this white burgundy (Chardonnay) was only $10.99 and it was a delicious accompaniment to the fish. There was a very nice integration of wood oak in the Chardonnay that provided the appropriate mouth feel and flavors to stand up to the prosciutto. We need to find more of this Joseph Drouhin Macon-Village and try the Monkfish Saltimbocca again, soon!

Days of Pounding End Post

It is getting toward the end of the season and winter is quickly approaching (tomorrow! according to the weather forecasters). We are finally getting our black locust end posts in the ground, with the help of an Extreme Driver post pounder, a loaner from our generous friends. To fill in a little background, we spent a lot of time looking for black locust that we could use for our end posts because we didn't want to use the conventional pressure treated end posts that contain CCAs (i.e. chromated copper arsenate). After a lot of searching, my husband located a dealer in Barkhamsted, CT who provided us with 90, reasonably straight 10 foot posts. We were ecstatic!
Taking the advice of our friend, "Start from a place where you can experiment on how to use the pounder", translation "Make your mistakes where not too many people can see", on Tuesday morning, we started at the north end of our field, with our first try. It took us 2 hours to put in our first black locust end post. The major hurdle was how to position the black locust that was so dense, it felt like concrete, into the clamping device of the post pounder.

We went home to regroup and think about how to speed this task up. So, on the drive home, my husband was mumbling to me something about modifying the fork lift on the John Deere so that he could put a chain on the plate. All this talk about forks and plates was making me think of how hungry I was for lunch. (Focus Gayle, focus!) He also wanted to know how much each end post might weigh, so my husband looked on the Internet and found the answer. Here is what Wikipedia had to say about black locust:.

Wood: Pale yellowish brown; heavy, hard, strong, close-grained and very durable in contact with the ground. The wood has a specific gravity 0.7333, and a weight of approximately 45.7 pounds per cubic foot.

If we were paying attention, the statistic approximately 45.7 pounds per cubic foot, should have jumped out at us. We purchased 10 foot long locust posts with diameters ranging from 6-8 inches. So, dusting off my middle school math with a little help from the internet on how to calculate the volume of a cylinder, I calculated how much an average log of black locust might weigh and came up with 157.8 pounds!

The fortunate thing is that we do have 2 tractors. My husband took the forks out of the John Deere fork lift and hooked up a chain to the "plate" in order to move the log into place. This modification worked like a charm and we are now down to approximately 45 minutes per post!

2004 Jacky Truchot Clos Sorbes Burgundy with Roasted Stuffed Chicken

We have had a Jacky Truchot Les Blanchards Burgundy before in 2012 and enjoyed it then. This 2004 Clos Sorbes wine is still drinking wonderfully, full of fruit and a hint of spice. My husband retrieved this wine from the basement stash because I made a mushroom and sausage stuffed breast of chicken with a light mushroom sauce. It is very rare that I make a meal like this so I believe that my husband thought it was cause for celebration. I paired the chicken with oven roasted baby purple potatoes, baby carrots, and baby beets which all came from my garden and store bought onions. I have to confess, I roasted the chicken for far too long and it was a tad dry. But drinking copious amounts of Jacky Truchot Morey-St.-Denis was the right fix!

Temperature Report from Onset HoboWare

We went to the land yesterday afternoon and downloaded the data on our Onset Hoboware Temperature logger that we deployed on October 19th. We knew that we had a hard frost on the 20th of October, but we didn't know exactly what time and what temperature it was. We just knew that our grape leaves took a beating from the cold.
We set the device to measure and record data every ten minutes. So, the software associated with the temperature logger plotted the data like this:

All three of our data loggers trended in the same way:

In addition, I was able to look at all of the data and locate exactly when the coldest temperature occurred and what that temperature was. So, our three data loggers recorded the following low temperatures:

Logger 1	Logger 2	Logger 3
10/20 6:58 AM 28.139oF	10/20 6:32 AM 26.458oF	10/20 6:30 AM 26.245oF
11/03 7:18 AM 28.969oF	11/03 6:52 AM 27.930oF	11/03 6:45 AM 32.617oF

And the high temperatures occurred at these times:

Logger 1	Logger 2	Logger 3
10/21 3:28 PM 82.508oF	10/21 2:32 PM 78.624oF	10/21 3:30 PM 78.624oF
10/29 3:18 PM 83.399oF	10/29 1:32 PM 78.274oF	10/29 3:05 PM 78.098oF

The high temperatures seem a little too high in our opinion. We currently have our temperature sensors attached to our metal line posts and that might be creating a micro-environment due to radiant heating. So we are thinking about putting the sensors into a more neutral environment using PVC piping.

Vineyard Cleaning Detail

Yesterday, we finished cutting the scions off of the many (6300+) vines that did not make it through the 2013 season so that we could distinguish between the plants that are still remaining (500) when it comes time for pruning next spring.
You might ask, "Why are we keeping dead vines?" and the answer would be:
We are working with our Farm Service Agency (FSA) and have applied for a grant that would provide some financial assistance in replacing our vines. The reason for keeping these dead vines is that they may want to see the devastation.
So, on an unseasonably beautiful day, as we walked the rows lopping as we went along, we came across little green specks on an otherwise dead vine and upon closer inspection, found these:

Apparently, the hole left by the disappearance of the pith is a great home to these little green caterpillars. My husband cut a cane and found 3 of these little fellows huddled there for the winter. All the more reason to do vineyard cleaning!
I haven't figured out what these caterpillars are, but if you know what they might be, please drop me a line!

2009 Vajra Barolo

My husband purchased this 2009 Vajra Barolo because we are fans of Vajra wines and especially their 2009 Barbera d'Alba Superior. This Barolo did not disappoint! We enjoyed this wine which we paired with a Moussaka me Patates that we made with eggplant grown in our garden. Sadly, the days of fresh produce from the garden is coming to an end as our Indian summer has abruptly given way to winter.
The memory of the deliciousness of the wine is keeping me warm this Sunday morning as snow falls to the north of us, reminding me of the unseasonable snowfall we had on October 29, 2011.

Harvest at Saltwater Farm

This past Monday, we went to help our friend, Dave at Saltwater Farm, which is about a mile from where we live, harvest his grapes. It was a cool day, perfect for grape harvest. We saw Dave busy at work processing the already harvested fruit.
Dave first gave us a little peak at the fermenting Pinot Noir under the tarp then, he showed us the press that is a recent addition to Saltwater Farm. It is a small world. The press came from Black Ankle Vineyards!

We then went to the vineyard and joined 14 other people who were busy picking the Chardonnay. In no time, all of the rows of Chardonnay were picked!

Why Does a Grape Cane Shred Its Bark

When we are walking in the vineyard, my husband and I often come across vines that are sloughing off their outer bark in shreds. We wondered if this was good or bad. I thought it was okay because somewhere I read that the sloughing off of the outer bark is a sign of older wood. I did some online research and came across the answer and followed it into the rabbit hole as I searched for more information.
While reading the online literature on the periderm, I came across words such as phellogen, phellem and phelloderm and things became a bit confusing. I understand best when I can see a diagram so I searched the Internet and the offerings were few until I came across Theoretical Aspects of Vascular Anatomy with all the illustrations that I could possibly wish for! Take a look at this beautiful illustration of the cross section of a grape shoot:¹

The vascular cambium, also simply called cambium is where all the action takes place. The cambium consists of a single layer of cells which produces xylem cells to the inside and phloem cells to the outside. Every year, the cambium produces new phloem and xylem and adds to the girth the grape cane.
Once a year, some cells in the outer layer of the phloem becomes meristematic and regains the ability to produce new cells and growth. This meristematic growth produces the cork cambium which in turn produces a layer of new cork cells that becomes impregnated with a waxy substance cutting off the water supply to the cork cells and older phloem.

Cork cells die after they reach full size and then they become impervious to water. When fully formed, the periderm or what we know as the bark seals off the inner dehydrating cells from the once green outer cortex, which then dies and turns brown.
This periderm is made up of the:

• Cork cambium/(phellogen)
• Cork/phellem is produced towards the outside
• "Cork-skin"/phelloderm is produced on the inside

Each year, new meristematic growth that produces the cork cambium (phellogen) adds to the accumulated periderm of previous years and this accumulation is what causes the bark to slough off!
References:
1. Theoretical Aspects of Vascular Anatomy
2. Tim Martinson, Assessing Winter Cold Injury of Grape Canes and Trunks, Cornell University, 2011.
3. Edward W. Hellman, Grapevine Structure and Function.
4. Michael G. Mullins, ‎Alain Bouquet, ‎Larry E. Williams, Biology of the Grapevine, pg. 53.

Autumn Sightings: Pink Leafhopper

We were closing in on pounding the 1000th line post in the vineyard. When we do this task, I drive our tractor and work the hydraulics (the easier job) and my husband positions the line post and we pound it into the soil. We have gotten into a very good rhythm and sometimes it can take us as little as 2 minutes for the process of pounding one post and moving to the next location.
It was a somewhat cool day and the warmest place to be is on a tractor when the hydraulics are being operated. I revel in the heat generated from this activity because it keeps me comfortably warm. So, it was no wonder that this little insect chose the tire to find a little respite from the cold. I mentally debated the time it would take to get a photo of this leaf hopper, but the contrast of the pink and the blue of the Landini Mistral was too good to pass up. So, in between working the hydraulics for our Atlas Copco post pounder, I whipped out the camera that I carry in my overall pocket and started taking some photos. Meanwhile, my husband who was positioning the line post was telling me to "Focus! focus!" When we got home and I showed him the photos of this tiny but beautiful vineyard visitor, he forgave me.

Looking online, I was able to identify this pink leafhopper as a member of Gyponana gladia, or also possibly Gyponana octolineata. You might ask, "What does this have to do with grape growing" and my answer would be, "Not much", but then working in a vineyard is all about observation and sometimes the bonus of seeing amazing creatures!
Reference:
1. American Insects, Gyponana gladia.

Hoboware Temperature Loggers Deployed

Yesterday, we had every intention to pound more line posts but when we reached the vineyard, the wind was blowing strongly enough so that our guide line was affected, so we went to plan B. We deployed our Onset Date Loggers that will monitor the temperature in the vineyard. We would have, could have, should have been monitoring our temperature way before planting our vines so that we would be aware of temperature variations on our 4.5 acre plot, but at least we have gotten around to it. So, we deployed them in 3 locations:

Logger number 1 is located at the lowest point in the vineyard in the northeast corner. Logger number 2 is located on the west edge of the vineyard and logger number 3 is located on the south front portion of the vineyard.
Prior to deploying the loggers in the vineyard, we collected data for 20 days so once the loggers were positioned we were able to test the ability to download data to the shuttle. The transfer of 20 days of temperature collection didn't take very long and when we brought the data shuttle back home, we were able to retrieve the information from the temperature loggers.

Our deployment of the temperature loggers were just in time. This morning, when I woke up, I observed the first frost on the windshield of my car!

Cross Section of a One Year Old Grape Shoot

Yesterday, in between pounding posts (yes, we're still at it!) I took pictures of one of our grape shoots that had developed its protective periderm to see what the cross section of a one year old grape shoot should look like. Then, I went on line to the Cornell University Fruit Website and found a very good image of the cross section of a one year old shoot which was labeled.

The process of maturation of a one year old grape shoot begins shortly after veraison when the shoot begins to develop its periderm. After the periderm has formed, the one year old shoot is referred to as a cane.

References:
1. Tim Martinson, Assessing Winter Cold Injury of Grape Canes and Trunks, Cornell University, 2011.
2. Edward W. Hellman, Grapevine Structure and Function.

How Many Grapes Does It Take to Make a Bottle of Wine

Last night, on the way home from working in our vineyard, my husband and I discussed how many grapes it would take to make a bottle of wine. At the moment, this is entirely theoretical because although we have a vineyard, we only have 500 survivors from our devastating winter of 2013, but it is still a good mental exercise. I cited Lucie Morton, who wrote the book Winegrowing in Eastern America which included this illustration:

When we discuss this question, my husband always refers to the linear feet of fruiting wire rather than the grapevine as the unit of measure. It would really be nice to know how many cases each row of vines can produce so today, I sat down to do some calculations.
If we take into account, my husband's insistence that the calculation must be based on the linear feet of fruiting wire, the following assumptions will be made: On average, there is a shoot every 4 inches or a fist's width apart and on average, each shoot produces 2 clusters of grapes. So, for our 760 linear feet, we will have approximately 2280 shoots or 4560 clusters of grapes.¹ I also assumed that each cluster of grapes was approximately 0.2 pounds based on information I found at the Cornell University website.² So, the calculation based on the linear feet of fruiting wire gives us this:

In back calculating, the above assumption gives us 3.75 tons per acre, which is about where we want to be when we are in production.

References:
1. Ben Beale, Grape Canopy Management, University of Maryland Extension.
2. Estimating and Adjusting Crop Weight in Finger Lakes Vineyards.
3. Mark Chien, Need Quality? Try Canopy and Fruit Zone Management Vermont and New Hampshire, Penn State Cooperative Extension.

White Wine Production Theory and Practice

Recently, I was surfing the internet and found a really good presentation on making white wine called Practical White Wine Production Theory and Practice given by Tim Donahue and Sabrina Lueck. The presenters advocate knowing the chemistry and biology of the juice that you are working with. The 63 slides in this presentation begins with an explanation of pH, TA, Brix and YAN.
I found the following slide to be a great summary of what to look out for as white wine grapes get transformed from juice to wine:

I found an embed button on the slide deck:

Practical White Wine Production: Theory and Practice from Sabrina Lueck

Onset HOBOware Temperature Logger

It's been raining for 3 days now and this has given us a nice reprieve from working in the vineyard. However, that doesn't mean that all work related to our vineyard comes to a halt. Recently, my husband bought 3 temperature data loggers from Onset to put in our vineyard so that we can more accurately monitor the temperature in the coming year. When we received the software installation CD and the data loggers, my husband asked me to install the software and configure and test the loggers. Okay, this was right up my alley because in a previous life, I used to install computational software and manage computer hardware. I read the little installation manual and then got ready to configure the loggers.

The installation, complete with pictures was not as intuitive as I had hoped it would be but somehow I muddled through it and then configured the loggers to do the overnight test in 3 different locations in our home. When I got ready to download the data, I was lost. Then, my husband found this YouTube video to help me:

It turns out that the data shuttle must be initiated by the computer while the software is up and running. Then the shuttle will be able to download the data collected by the logger. When the data have been downloaded to the shuttle, the shuttle will reinitialize the logger and restart the logging. Now, the shuttle has all of the data which can then be transferred to the computer. At this point, the shuttle is called a base station.
The beauty of this is that the initialized shuttle can be taken to the vineyard, sans computer and the data can be transferred to this handy device. I've set the loggers to collect a data point once every 10 minutes so that means that I can collect data for 44 days without having to download it from the loggers. But before deployment, one more test in the home to ensure that I really understand what is going on!

2011 Grgich Hills Fumé Blanc

I must confess that I like Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Ever since my husband introduced me to Cloudy Bay, I was a fan. The years have passed and many New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc appeals to my palate by having a decidedly passionfruit flavor that I enjoy. I also confess to enjoying the Loire Valley Henri Bourgeois Sancerre as well as a Pouilly-Fumé, both made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. That's the problem with the nomenclature of the Sauvignon Blanc grape because depending on where it is grown, it can be called something else. The California Fumé Blanc nomenclature can be traced be traced back to Robert Mondavi who decided to call his dry-style Sauvignon Blanc, Fumé Blanc to distinguish it from his sweeter-style Sauvignon Blanc, and rather than patent the name, he allowed anyone to use it. This Grgich Hills Fumé Blanc differs from any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I would put the expression of the grape between that of the Loire Valley and New Zealand. My husband and I did enjoy drinking this wine and he promised me that he would pick up a few more bottles.

Reductive Regime vs Oxidative Regime for White Wine Making

Reading Clark Smith's article on Making White Wine reminded me of my favorite go to article on hyperoxidation called Must Hyperoxidation: A Review written by V. Schneider and available online. Clark Smith wrote that the reductive treatment of must is the newest methodology in the treatment of white wine making which superseded hyperoxidation. It turns out that hyperoxidation and the use of sulfur dioxide, a totally reductive treatment are two divergent pathways in the treatments of a white must and the article by Schneider explains the chemistry behind this distinction.
Which method is used is also dependent upon the press regime that is employed as well as the desired outcome of the phenolics in the resultant wine. If the press regime includes pressing of the grape skins and seeds, more of the flavonoid phenols will end up in the must.
Schneider defines hyperoxidation as:
          the phenomenon of phenol stabilization via oxygen consumption in the           must by the deliberate use of oxidation prior to fermentation in order to           improve a wines' shelf-life.
Oxidation of must is an enzymatically induced reaction and is different from oxidation of wine. Enzymatic oxidation of must is carried out by tyrosinase, a natural grape enzyme. If the grapes are infected with molds, the enzyme laccase also contributes to the oxidation. Press juice has more tyrosinase activity than free run juice.

The most abundant non-flavonoid phenolic compound in white grapes are the hydroxycinnamic acids and the major derivate is caftaric acid. When white grape juice is processed without sulfur dioxide, enzymatically induced oxidation occurs and leads to a precipitation of phenolic compounds as insoluble brown pigments. For must hyperoxidation to be effective, it has to be carried out directly after pressing and before any further juice processing. Clarification by racking or centrifugation is an important next step and is used to reduce suspended solids to less than 1% by weight in order to eliminate the major part of the phenolic precipitates. Because hyperoxidation occurs prior to the addition of yeast, it has no influence upon fermentation kinetics.
Conversely, when enzymatic activity is inhibited by the use of sulfur dioxide, the phenols are protected against oxidation and stabilized in solution. Therefore, the fate of these phenols is closely related to sulfur dioxide management.
Sulfur dioxide management and the mechanism by which it works is threefold:

• It inhibits and destroys tyrosinase;
• Sulfur dioxide reduces caftaric acid quinone back to its phenolic form, preventing flavonoid oxidation
• Sulfite containing media enhances the solubility of phenolic compounds

Therefore, the early use of sulfur dioxide in the must, preserves the phenolic content.
References:
1. V. Schneider, Must Hyperoxidation A Review, Am. J. Enol. Vitic., Vol. 49, No. 1, 1998.

Amazing Grapes

It's getting close to harvest time in Connecticut. This year because we don't have grapes to harvest, we decided to call Russell Holmberg of Holmberg Orchards to see whether he was harvesting or not and if he could use some help. Russell was in the midst of juggling apple picking as well as grape picking and he said if we could spare some time, he would welcome our help. He had 3 people picking his grapes and yesterday they finished 6 rows and got 4 tons of grapes! When we arrived, we saw evidence of grapes being picked but for a few minutes, did not see anyone. I took this photo of the Pinot Blanc grapes that we were there to harvest.

The grapes were beautiful and the canopy was green and well maintained. The alleys were nicely mowed and the vine rows were clean. After a few moments,we ran into Joe, who directed us to see Federico and Juan. Federico showed us how to pick the grapes and showed us some bunches that looked good but were sour! It was a slight difference in the turgidity of the grape bunch that clued you in on the potential for sourness in the bunch. I have never seen such pristine looking grapes in Connecticut. It was amazing as was the tonnage that Russell was able to achieve!

Celebrating a Birthday: A Little Break From the Vinework

We took Friday off to procure a few things to celebrate our friend Barry's 60th birthday. Because he loves champagne we were on a mission to buy some cheeses that paired with champagne. My husband did the online research and found a cheese shop not too far from us so we took a road trip to The Cheese Shop of Centerbrook and met up with the proprietor, Paul Partica. He let us taste a number of cheeses and recommended a pear pairing so, this is what we ended up with:

The cheeses, oysters, popcorn, and strawberries were the starters for our slow food dinner that we paired with one of our favorite champagnes, Egly-Ouriet, a champagne made totally from the Pinot Meunier grape, provided by Barry's SO. We also opened up a Duval-Leroy with artwork on the bottle by Leroy Neiman.

We followed up the appetizers with pan seared beef tenderloin finished in the oven and served with mushroom sauce. The side dishes were grilled potatoes and onions and one of Barry's favorite vegetable side dishes, a ratatouille of corn, tomatoes and okra a combined effort of the attendees. The main meal was accompanied by a trio of wines that included a 2004 Bond Estates Pluribus Red, 1994 Dunn Napa Valley and 1994 Ridge MonteBello. All of this was lubrication for the festivities of a 60th birthday roast for our friend, he had no idea what was coming next! Suffice it to say that the birthday gifts, mainly of the gag variety, had all of us in stitches. And when all was said and done, we had consumed 5 bottles of wine including one bottle with dessert. When we said our farewells, it was 1 a.m.!