Recap of Vintage 2018

The 2018 calendar year is behind us so it is a good time for reflection. It was interesting for me to read that on this very day last year we were preparing for a bomb cyclone. This year, the temperature is a balmy 47 degrees and sunny. What a difference a year makes.
Here are some of the posts that I wrote during the 2018 season:

• Vintage 2018: Winter East Coast Bomb Cyclone
• Vintage 2018: Winter Temperatures
• Vintage 2018: A Month of Storms
• Vintage 2018: Spring Chores
• Vintage 2018: Budbreak
• Bloom and Fruitset
• Vintage 2018: Summer
• Vintage 2018: End of Summer
• Chardonnay 2018 Harvest
• Vintage 2018: Auxerrois and Chardonnay Harvest
• Vintage 2018: Chenin Blanc Harvest
• Vintage 2018: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc Harvest
• Vintage 2018: Post Harvest Recap
• Vintage 2018: Fall Chores

There are a few lessons we learned from last year, mainly concerned with water. We had a relatively dry spring that lead to a cessation in vine growth and then a wetter than normal fall which lead to tremendous crop loss.
So here are our take home lessons:

• Be prepared to irrigate early in the growing season to ensure good node separation
• Irrigation after the first growth phase can also ensure the growth of larger leaves that have more photosynthetic capabilities
• Early irrigation can also aide in reaching full canopy by mid-July
• Be prepared for leaf pulling after fruitset around the fruit zone to give the developing fruit airflow and sun acclimation
• If taking a chance and hanging fruit to increase sugar levels, be ready to harvest if the extended forecast includes rain.