The vineyard crew is making good progress cleaning out long canes and dead wood in the Edelweiss and Sabrevois at Tassel Ridge. They hope the weather will allow them to finish this week. They will mechanically prune the rest of the vineyards next.
Most people I talk to are ready for warmer weather. But, it looks like we have a stretch of weather in the 30’s that may last for another two weeks at least. While not popular with people, this cooler weather does serve a good cause in delaying the end of winter dormancy of the grape vines. This means that the sap won’t be moving in the trunks until mid-April at the earliest and we won’t have buds to get frozen in a late freeze until mid-May when the chances of a hard frost (defined as 28°F or lower) are very small.
We are already taking advantage of the lower than normal temperatures by pruning shorter than we would otherwise. We may not have to go back and short prune these vines saving some labor.
We are looking for two workers to work in our vineyards until just after harvest (about September 30). If you are interested in a vineyard job or know someone who is, please let us know.
