EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT TENNESSEE

WELL, I wanted to include two shots of Matakana Summer so if you are reading this back in the states you will be jealous!!!! I took both of these photos yesterday. The beach scene is Omaha Beach that sits just at the bottom of the hill we live on and is about 4 miles from our vineyard. The vine shot shows how good our grapes look after leaf trimming to get ready for bunch thinning. (bunch thinning is the last thing we do before we but up bird netting) We thin out poorer bunches of grapes soon after verasion (change of green grapes to red skins) but must do this before the nets go on as once then nets are up we can't easily work the grapes. Next post I will show a bit of the netting process and the bunch thinning--I hate to do the thinning as dropping any grapes to the ground stresses me out even though I know it is the "way of life" to get better quality wine with fewer grape bunches.

Sometimes I wish I could wax more poetic but that seems impossible with my surgical background. Here is a nice essay by Robin Ransom who is the president of our Matakana Wine Growers Asssoc. This was in the January 2008 lcoal Matakana Matters paper published here in our valley. Robin says it all below:):):):):))

The promise of things to come

Early summer in the vineyard is an interesting time. We have by now weathered the vicissitudes of spring. You know the stuff - equinoxial gales from the west sometimes combined with thunderstorms bringing potentially devastating blasts of hail, and often colder than mid-winter. All this interspersed with glorious sunny and windless days, when you can almost see the vine shoots growing.

Southern areas suffer the problem of frost in spring. If this occurs after budburst it can destroy new shoots and developing flower clusters. Every region south of Auckland has had its share of frost damage in recent years, sometimes reducing potential crop size by more than half. We have heard stories this year from Marlborough about large numbers of helicopters inverting vineyard air so the colder air on the ground is replaced by warmer air from above.

Early summer is one of the two most critical times in the season – flowering and fruit set. Fortunately grape vines do not need the assistance of bees, as they self-pollinate. But we are still vulnerable. Weather conditions which reduce photosynthesis, ie cold and wet, will disrupt pollination. This process, called “coulure” in France, prevents berry fertilisation, with consequent reduction in crop size.

A reduced fruit set is not always a bad thing. Some grape varieties are prolific, and in most seasons will need some bunches removed to give the vines the best chance of fully ripening the remainder. A dose of cool wet weather about now can avoid the need for labour intensive bunch thinning. In our vineyard cabernet sauvignon and pinot gris can sometimes set huge quantities of bunches. This looks wonderful on the vine but very large crops compromise wine quality, especially if the weather at the business end of the season cools too quickly.

A walk through the vineyard at this time of year can be very rewarding. Grape flowers are tiny and almost invisible, but they are very abundant and in combination produce a gorgeous aroma. The heady wafting fragrance of flowering grapes can be a transport of delight and carries with it the promise of things to come.

More soon;

DR JIM