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October 2, 2007
Obsessing as usual about the weather.
2007 has been a cool, rainy year. We'd normally have started
harvest by now, the Leon Millot being the first to be picked.
However, its likely we won't start until at least the 12th. We
keep reading that 2007 wasn't THAT bad a year in terms of heat units
(warmth) but it just seems that way compared to the fabulous weather of
2006.
I went through the vineyard early in
September, before the nets went on, and took off any bunches that
looked to me like they weren't going to ripen. We always crop to 2
bunches per shoot. This policy gives a low yield vineyard, but
results in a higher quality wine. There were some shorter canes
that I only left 1 bunch, instead of 2, for the same reason. So now its
just wait, and balance the desire for greater ripeness against the
coming rains of autumn. ( At the coast, there is always rain coming in
autumn!)
Even so, I don't think we will be
producing a 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve, so I'd recommend buying the 2005 on
hand, and the 2006 coming out in the spring. There will, however,
be lots (for us, lots would be 300 cases +) of 2007 Blanc de Noir, and
2007 Karma, our methode traditionelle sparkling wine.
In the meantime, we are getting ready
to bottle some of the Blackberry Port made from blackberries picked
August 2006. Only some, because we are waiting for bottles
languishing on the Italian docks. We'd prefer to buy locally
but finding a North American source of 375 ml bottles with a screwcap
closure has not happened.
And we are busy organizing the Grape
Harvest Ball. VALDY has kindly agreed to entertain, and the chefs
are sourcing local produce and dreaming up tasty dishes.
March 2007
2006 was a
warm, dry year. There was no measurable rain for about 4 months.
Fortunately, we have an adequate water supply - we use runoff water from
Mount Maxwell that is collected in a pond. When that pond goes
dry, we pump water out of a second pond, that is fed by 2 (or more)
springs.
All grape growers on the west coast
had a great year, the non-stop sunshine resulted in a larger than normal
crop. At harvest, wineries were busy unexpectedly sourcing
more tanks and barrels. Now our little winery is full of wine, and
we are struggling for storage space.
A great addition to the vineyard was
the arrival of Huey and Duey, the Indian Runner Ducks. Bill and I
headed out sailing in September as soon as we had finished netting on
the grapes. When we were away, Huey and Duey moved in.
They do everything in unison, so its a treat to watch them running up
and down the rows of vines, searching for slugs. You'll have to
come see it to understand our fascination with them.
 We started picking grapes the first
week in October and finished the 20th. To celebrate harvest, we
stomped grapes the traditional way at the "Grape Harvest Ball".
Several thousand dollars were raised to support a roofing and solar
energy program at an AIDS orphanage in Mozambique and a parent and child
program on Salt Spring. (The 2nd Annual Grape Harvest Ball will be
October 20.)
The 2007 season has begun, and we
have finished pruning. Bill is also designing a permanent pumping
system that would feed the upper pond from the lower pond. It will
have the benefit of reducing his ongoing work, while pleasing his
wife (me) - the pump can also operate a fountain in the lower pond
when it is not being used for more practical applications!
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We are going into our sixth year of practicing organic methods in the vineyard. That's the good news, the bad news is that we perennially have weeds. However, we believe that grapes free from herbicides produces healthier and tastier wines for you. Since we hand weed, we also contribute to the local economy by employing weeders. Organic, sustainable, interdependent. |
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Now for some history of the vineyard: The Vineyard's setting high on Lee Hill overlooking the Fulford Valley ensures that late spring frosts are unlikely to harm the grapes. If you are a bicyclist, you'll know the location. When you bicycle from Fulford Harbour to Ganges, its the place where you stop and congratulate yourself for making it up the hill! The property was originally an apple orchard, dating back to the time that Salt Spring provided all the apples for British Columbia. That's before the Okanagan got irrigation which was in the 1930's, I believe. We still harvest yearly from the several heritage apples, such as Fallowater, Duchess of Oldenburg, Baldwin and King, on the property to make our organically grown dessert wine "Apple Pie". In 1998, most of our work was concentrated in understanding our water sources, which, fortunately for us, are plentiful. We use only surface water to irrigate which is the ecologically sensitive thing to do on an island. We have excellent drainage as the vineyard is located at the base of gravel deposits. In 1999, Bill, Graham, Pete and Matt, aided by Corbain's knowledge, fenced most of the property to keep larger grape-eating critters out. In 2000, two acres of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were planted.. In 2001, another acre containing more Pinot Noir and a fabulous, early ripening red, Leon Millot, were planted. The Winery building was erected, thanks to a great team led by Sam Ellison. In 2002, now that the digging was over, the landscaping around the winery building was completed. In September 2002, we received the first winery license granted on Salt Spring. We enjoyed that distinction for exactly one half hour, as our neighbours down the hill received theirs thirty minutes later .Two days after licensing, some fabulous merlot was rushed from the Okanogan into our destemmer-crusher. Harvest started October 24, 2002.
The Pacific Northwest is classed as a cool-climate zone for grape growing (less than 1500 "Degree days" in a year is the cutoff for cool versus warm climate). Some of the suitable grapes for a cool-climate zone are: |
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Whites:
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Reds:
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For more information about suitable grapes in the Pacific Northwest, visit http:/pswg.org/grapes.htm or www.wiga.ca |
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(These
two photos were taken 2 weeks apart, March 2003!)
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