We are taking advantage of the warming trend to get back out into our Sabrevois blocks at Maple Woods Vineyards to do finish pruning. We rough pruned these vines in December. Both trucks and tractors are being fixed and we have been working on equipment in the
Read more →The temperature as I write this article has not gotten above 0°F all day and it is a good reminder of why we grow Cold Climate Grape Varieties in Iowa. Vitis vinifera vines (which includes grape varieties like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon) will freeze off at the
Read more →We took advantage of the improving weather to start rough pruning of our Marquette vines on Monday. We used our V-mech system in which two operators ride in the “chariot” behind a tractor. The tractor driver is comfortable with both heat and air conditioning. The two operators
Read more →We are continuing to work at Newport Lane Vineyard to remove the vines, posts, and trellis wires. We hope to have the two north vineyards removed by early December. We no longer need the grapes we have grown at Newport Lane and the farmer who owns the
Read more →We are removing an old vineyard at Newport Lane. We no longer need the varieties grown at this location (Frontenac, St. Pepin, and St. Croix) because we are growing them in one of our other three vineyards. The vines are old and are hard to maintain. This
Read more →The recent rain storms have softened up the ground so we can use our Weed Badger to get rows cleaned up so we can plant LaCrosse in the spring. The vines have gone dormant and the ground is now cool enough that we can apply pre-emergent herbicide
Read more →Although we have not had any overnight freezes yet in Mahaska County, our vines are showing signs that they think it is time to go dormant for the Winter. This is most evident with Steuben which is a labrusca vine native to New England. Leaves on these
Read more →We are continuing to tie up vines that have come loose from their trellis. The varieties include Petite Pearl, Itasca, Foch, Steuben, and Crimson Pearl. We are finishing spraying of fungicide at Tassel Ridge Vineyard and then we will clean up and put away the Hagie sprayer.
Read more →The last grape variety of the 2023 harvest was Steuben, which is usually late to ripen. The work for the vineyard staff now switches to putting harvest and crush equipment away, getting the vineyards ready for winter and for next season. We grew some grapes that we
Read more →We planned to pick Petite Pearl on Tuesday however 0.75 inches of rain on Monday forced a delay. First, the wet vineyard floor won’t support the harvester and related equipment. And second, we were worried that the rain might have diluted the juice in the grapes. We
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