Note that there is only one 'vinifera' on the list. It has survived in Rock House vineyard. It is 30' higher and 200' further away from the river. The river houses all the PD vectors..
Sunday, December 22, 2013
What kind of vine likes growing here?
This is based on my 2013 review. The Mills Vineyard has 163 vines at least 3' tall.
Note that there is only one 'vinifera' on the list. It has survived in Rock House vineyard. It is 30' higher and 200' further away from the river. The river houses all the PD vectors..
Note that there is only one 'vinifera' on the list. It has survived in Rock House vineyard. It is 30' higher and 200' further away from the river. The river houses all the PD vectors..
Friday, December 20, 2013
Major Long's sand dune grapes
This topic has been of some interest on the Grape Breeders' list. Members of Major Stephen Long's 1820 expedition wrote the following about what we now call Beaver Dunes park in Oklahoma ('A' in the below map). This is on the edge of what I call 'local'. Beaver Dunes park is a 6 hour drive north of me, in the Oklahoma panhandle. Put another way, it is 27 miles north of the Texas state line.
"On examination we found these hillocks had been produced, exclusively by the agency of the grape vines arresting the sand, as it was borne along by the wind, until such quantities had been accumulated as to bury every part of the plant except the ends of the branches. Many of these were so loaded with fruit, as to present nothing to the eye but a series of clusters so closely arranged as to conceal every part of the stem. The fruit of these vines is incomparably finer than that of any other, either native or exotic, which we have met with n the United States."
What was this 'incomparably finer' grape? Are there specimen closer to home that might provide pollen?
Millardet's Histoire des principales variétés et espèces de vignes d'origine américaine (1885), and Viala's Une Mission Viticole en Amerique (1888) suggest the vines were hybrids of rupestris (rock grape) and riparia (river grape). This makes some intuitive sense. Mix a rock grape and a river grape and you get a sand-dune grape.
T.V. Munson disagreed. He calls the Long expedition grapes 'Longii', for Major Long. Munson's view seems to have been accepted, though the name got switched to 'acerifolia'. Munson pointedly declared in 'Foundations' (1909), "In extended journeys in its native region, the writer has never seen V. rupestris or V. candicans except the latter along its eastern border of distribution. No other species has been seen by me in that large area where it is so abundant, save frequently V. Doaniana."
A 2013 presentation by Greg,. Klein, Bogler, Jiménez, and Miller tittled." Morphometric analysis of leafvariation in three North American grape species (Vitis acerifolia, V. riparia, and V. rupestris)" seems to take a third view. Reviewing large collections of specimen, the authors discover there are no morphometric discontinuities.
Does 'no morphometric discontinuities' mean Riparia, Rupestris and Acerifolia are variants on a single species?
"On examination we found these hillocks had been produced, exclusively by the agency of the grape vines arresting the sand, as it was borne along by the wind, until such quantities had been accumulated as to bury every part of the plant except the ends of the branches. Many of these were so loaded with fruit, as to present nothing to the eye but a series of clusters so closely arranged as to conceal every part of the stem. The fruit of these vines is incomparably finer than that of any other, either native or exotic, which we have met with n the United States."
What was this 'incomparably finer' grape? Are there specimen closer to home that might provide pollen?
Millardet's Histoire des principales variétés et espèces de vignes d'origine américaine (1885), and Viala's Une Mission Viticole en Amerique (1888) suggest the vines were hybrids of rupestris (rock grape) and riparia (river grape). This makes some intuitive sense. Mix a rock grape and a river grape and you get a sand-dune grape.
T.V. Munson disagreed. He calls the Long expedition grapes 'Longii', for Major Long. Munson's view seems to have been accepted, though the name got switched to 'acerifolia'. Munson pointedly declared in 'Foundations' (1909), "In extended journeys in its native region, the writer has never seen V. rupestris or V. candicans except the latter along its eastern border of distribution. No other species has been seen by me in that large area where it is so abundant, save frequently V. Doaniana."
A 2013 presentation by Greg,. Klein, Bogler, Jiménez, and Miller tittled." Morphometric analysis of leafvariation in three North American grape species (Vitis acerifolia, V. riparia, and V. rupestris)" seems to take a third view. Reviewing large collections of specimen, the authors discover there are no morphometric discontinuities.
Does 'no morphometric discontinuities' mean Riparia, Rupestris and Acerifolia are variants on a single species?
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Self sufficient 12 acre restaurant
From Businessweek:
"Damon Baehrel is making dinner out of the scrub brush next
to his blacktop driveway. First he takes some sumac leaves and steeps
them to make tea. Then he adds liquefied wild violet stems cut from his
yard, as well as a dozen varieties of grapes cultivated in his garden.
He freezes all of this together and serves it on a spoon as one
refreshing bite. Baehrel calls it sumac-flavored ice slush and uses it
as a palate-cleanser during the 15-course meal he creates nightly for 18
food-obsessives. Many travel three hours from Manhattan—some even fly
in overnight—to pay $255 (before wine and tip) for the privilege of
eating in the basement of a modest clapboard home in Earlton, N.Y.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Getting to know 'Fercal'
I've got two new sets of 2007 seeds that came from Rich's 'Fercal' vine. They have been in storage for 5 years, but I'm going to see if they germinate. One set was open-pollinated. The other was 'Fercal' x Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich seemed disappointed in 'Fercal' when he gave me the seeds. 'It turns out Fercal didn't have any Cab in it', Rich said.
I didn't know what Fercal's heritage was, and I wasn't sure I should waste my time growing this 'non-cab', so I did some research on Fercal. A friend's email quoted Texas A&M claims that Fercal was a Vinifera x Berlandieri hybrid crossed with 333 EM rootstock by Pouget and Ottenwaelter in 1983 at the INRA Viticulture Research Station at Pont de la Maye, Bordeaux, France. Dr. Charles McKinney at the University of Texas Research Vineyard at Bakersfield, Texas was responsible for bringing FerCal into the United States. According to A&M, it offers great potential for vineyards on extremely high pH soil.
I found more definitive information in a paper titled "Parentage of grapevine rootstock ‘Fercal’ finally elucidated", V. Laucou, et al. (Vitis 47 (3), 163–167 (2008)). According to the paper, Fercal was a cross of ‘B.C. n°1B’ and '31 Richter' (not 333 EM). The problem was the parentage of Fercal's mother vine, named 'B.C. n°1' in Galet's 1988 paper. Laucou's paper provides the correct maternal grand-father's name.
As Texas A&M pointed out, people thought Fercal's parents were supposed to be ‘B.C. 1 (Vitis berlandieri x Colombard) n°1’ and ‘333 E.M.’ ('Cabernet-Sauvignon' x Vitis berlandieri). This seems to have been what Pouget and Ottenwaelter wrote in 1978 about their 1959 cross. First, it seems there were two 'B.C. n°1' vines, an 'A' and a 'B'. No one knew which was the correct parent. Second, beginning under the name of ‘B.C. n°1’. Next 'isozyme analysis by Boursiquote and Parra (1992) excluded '333 EM' as a parent.
Fortunately, Laucou's team knew where the breeding took place and could narrow the possible male parents. One of the neighboring vines, 31 Richter, had leaves that looked a lot like Fercal, so 31 Richter DNA (among others) was tested and the microsatellites prove he was the daddy.
Ok, anyone else confused?
Now, turning to the mother vine, work by DE ANDRÈS et al. (2007) had proven the mom couldn't be ''B.C. n°1A'. This left ''B.C. n°1B', which was supposed to berlandieri x Colombard (Galet 1988) but preliminary DNA studies didn't confirm this. With more testing, the correct pedigree was deduced (Drum-roll):
‘B.C. n°1B’ = ‘Berlandieri Lafont n°9 x Ugni blanc (vinifera)
Ok, I thought. I have not heard good things about 'cab' as a breeding parent, Fercal is getting more interesting. Ugni blanc is the name growers use for this cultivar in Southern France. The same vine is St. Emilion in the Cognac region, where it doesn't seem to ripen completely. In Italy, it is knownas Trebbiano Bianco. It has been grown there since Roman times. The GRIN record says it is now the most cultivated white grape in France. Wikipedia says it is the second most widely planted white grape vine in the world, makes an undistinguished wine, but a good brandy. (The most widely grown vine is Thompson Seedless, aka 'Sultanina.)
Cool. Sounds like Ugni Blanc's comes from a relatively hot climate.
The other thing that caught my attention was all the talk about Berlandieri. Berlandieri is a name the potentates of taxonomy are trying to ban. The currently approved label is 'cinerea', and that's the fine I'm focused on cinerea. Rich has given me cinerea x hot-climate vinifera cross!
Berlandieri Lafont n°9 is not found in the GRIN database, but is probably cinerea. It seems that the gods of taxonomy changed their minds about berlandieri in the 1980s, and most specimens got renamed cinerea.
Rességuier n°2 is listed as Cinerea (PI 588216) in the GRIN database. It was a popular female breeding parent in France during the early 20th century. The history caught my eye, and the description implied a Texas source, so I thought 'It is time for this one to come home.' There is now a one year old cutting in the house vineyard.
Turning to Richter 31, Vitis International Variety Catalogue ( VIVC ) JKI (Institut für Rebenzüchtung Geilweilerhof - Siebeldinge) called it Berlandieri resseguier 2 x Novo Mexicana. (Novo Mexicana, aka Nuevo Mexicana, is probably Longii)
Novo-mexicana seems to be a cutting Munson sent to Ravaz (1902). Ravaz thought it was (Vitis riparia - Vitis arizonica), probably based on Munson's description. Galet (1988) thought it was (Riparia x Rupestris x Candicans). There hasn't been any microsatellite work to justify Galet's revision of Ravaz. This is not a minor issue since the original arizonica parentage may imply exceptionally strong tolerance for Xyella fastidiosa, the source of the dread Pierce's Disease.
I didn't know what Fercal's heritage was, and I wasn't sure I should waste my time growing this 'non-cab', so I did some research on Fercal. A friend's email quoted Texas A&M claims that Fercal was a Vinifera x Berlandieri hybrid crossed with 333 EM rootstock by Pouget and Ottenwaelter in 1983 at the INRA Viticulture Research Station at Pont de la Maye, Bordeaux, France. Dr. Charles McKinney at the University of Texas Research Vineyard at Bakersfield, Texas was responsible for bringing FerCal into the United States. According to A&M, it offers great potential for vineyards on extremely high pH soil.
I found more definitive information in a paper titled "Parentage of grapevine rootstock ‘Fercal’ finally elucidated", V. Laucou, et al. (Vitis 47 (3), 163–167 (2008)). According to the paper, Fercal was a cross of ‘B.C. n°1B’ and '31 Richter' (not 333 EM). The problem was the parentage of Fercal's mother vine, named 'B.C. n°1' in Galet's 1988 paper. Laucou's paper provides the correct maternal grand-father's name.
As Texas A&M pointed out, people thought Fercal's parents were supposed to be ‘B.C. 1 (Vitis berlandieri x Colombard) n°1’ and ‘333 E.M.’ ('Cabernet-Sauvignon' x Vitis berlandieri). This seems to have been what Pouget and Ottenwaelter wrote in 1978 about their 1959 cross. First, it seems there were two 'B.C. n°1' vines, an 'A' and a 'B'. No one knew which was the correct parent. Second, beginning under the name of ‘B.C. n°1’. Next 'isozyme analysis by Boursiquote and Parra (1992) excluded '333 EM' as a parent.
Fortunately, Laucou's team knew where the breeding took place and could narrow the possible male parents. One of the neighboring vines, 31 Richter, had leaves that looked a lot like Fercal, so 31 Richter DNA (among others) was tested and the microsatellites prove he was the daddy.
Ok, anyone else confused?
Now, turning to the mother vine, work by DE ANDRÈS et al. (2007) had proven the mom couldn't be ''B.C. n°1A'. This left ''B.C. n°1B', which was supposed to berlandieri x Colombard (Galet 1988) but preliminary DNA studies didn't confirm this. With more testing, the correct pedigree was deduced (Drum-roll):
‘B.C. n°1B’ = ‘Berlandieri Lafont n°9 x Ugni blanc (vinifera)
Ok, I thought. I have not heard good things about 'cab' as a breeding parent, Fercal is getting more interesting. Ugni blanc is the name growers use for this cultivar in Southern France. The same vine is St. Emilion in the Cognac region, where it doesn't seem to ripen completely. In Italy, it is knownas Trebbiano Bianco. It has been grown there since Roman times. The GRIN record says it is now the most cultivated white grape in France. Wikipedia says it is the second most widely planted white grape vine in the world, makes an undistinguished wine, but a good brandy. (The most widely grown vine is Thompson Seedless, aka 'Sultanina.)
Cool. Sounds like Ugni Blanc's comes from a relatively hot climate.
The other thing that caught my attention was all the talk about Berlandieri. Berlandieri is a name the potentates of taxonomy are trying to ban. The currently approved label is 'cinerea', and that's the fine I'm focused on cinerea. Rich has given me cinerea x hot-climate vinifera cross!
Berlandieri Lafont n°9 is not found in the GRIN database, but is probably cinerea. It seems that the gods of taxonomy changed their minds about berlandieri in the 1980s, and most specimens got renamed cinerea.
Rességuier n°2 is listed as Cinerea (PI 588216) in the GRIN database. It was a popular female breeding parent in France during the early 20th century. The history caught my eye, and the description implied a Texas source, so I thought 'It is time for this one to come home.' There is now a one year old cutting in the house vineyard.
Turning to Richter 31, Vitis International Variety Catalogue ( VIVC ) JKI (Institut für Rebenzüchtung Geilweilerhof - Siebeldinge) called it Berlandieri resseguier 2 x Novo Mexicana. (Novo Mexicana, aka Nuevo Mexicana, is probably Longii)
Novo-mexicana seems to be a cutting Munson sent to Ravaz (1902). Ravaz thought it was (Vitis riparia - Vitis arizonica), probably based on Munson's description. Galet (1988) thought it was (Riparia x Rupestris x Candicans). There hasn't been any microsatellite work to justify Galet's revision of Ravaz. This is not a minor issue since the original arizonica parentage may imply exceptionally strong tolerance for Xyella fastidiosa, the source of the dread Pierce's Disease.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Winter storm
Snow provides an opportunity to see things with new eyes.
House Vineyard:
River Vineyard
House Vineyard:
River Vineyard
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Grape and Wine Technology review in the Economist
Without going into much detail, the following is a list of technological advances described in an Economist article called "Bacchus to the future".
The article omits mention of new pesticide and fungicide sprays which are equally sought after by big vineyards. The effects of these sprays were recently described in a New York times article titled 'The year the Monarchs didn't come'.
You decide what is in your future.
Mechanical pickers made by Pellenc.
Mechanical grape destemmer and sorter made by Pellenc (puff of air to remove unwanted grapes)
VinPerfect has a screw cap with an aluminium-coated plastic liner which allows the winemaker to choose precisely how much oxygen should enter the bottle over time.
The Cilyo machine injects small quantities of the gas into a sample, determines how fast the “must” consumes it and calculates the optimal amount to avoid 'premox'.
Reverse osmosis for adjusting alcohol/water balance, removing vinegar and ethyl acetate. (WineSecrets)
To defeat forgers, Prooftag contains a serial number and unique patter ob bubbles in 'bubble seal'.
Case sensors that track temp while shipping (eProvenance)
The Coravin inserts argon while pouring so air doesn't get in.
Lynch Bages, an august Bordeaux producer, uses satelite data and soil core samples to assess what vines to grow, and where.
Fruition Sciences applies heat sensors to vine branches to measure how fast sap flows through them, and thus how much water is transpiring through the plant. The sensors wirelessly transmit the data every 15 minutes, and send an alert if irrigation is needed.
Catena Zapata, an Argentine winery, is putting thermometers on roots to study the effect of their temperature on grape development.
At Ducru-Beaucaillou in Bordeaux, the winemaker sends tractors to calculate the concentration of anthocyanins, a valuable antioxidant.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear-magnetic resonance spectroscopy,are used by Axel Marchal of the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) in Bordeaux.
The article omits mention of new pesticide and fungicide sprays which are equally sought after by big vineyards. The effects of these sprays were recently described in a New York times article titled 'The year the Monarchs didn't come'.
You decide what is in your future.
Mechanical pickers made by Pellenc.
Mechanical grape destemmer and sorter made by Pellenc (puff of air to remove unwanted grapes)
VinPerfect has a screw cap with an aluminium-coated plastic liner which allows the winemaker to choose precisely how much oxygen should enter the bottle over time.
The Cilyo machine injects small quantities of the gas into a sample, determines how fast the “must” consumes it and calculates the optimal amount to avoid 'premox'.
Reverse osmosis for adjusting alcohol/water balance, removing vinegar and ethyl acetate. (WineSecrets)
To defeat forgers, Prooftag contains a serial number and unique patter ob bubbles in 'bubble seal'.
Case sensors that track temp while shipping (eProvenance)
The Coravin inserts argon while pouring so air doesn't get in.
Lynch Bages, an august Bordeaux producer, uses satelite data and soil core samples to assess what vines to grow, and where.
Fruition Sciences applies heat sensors to vine branches to measure how fast sap flows through them, and thus how much water is transpiring through the plant. The sensors wirelessly transmit the data every 15 minutes, and send an alert if irrigation is needed.
Catena Zapata, an Argentine winery, is putting thermometers on roots to study the effect of their temperature on grape development.
At Ducru-Beaucaillou in Bordeaux, the winemaker sends tractors to calculate the concentration of anthocyanins, a valuable antioxidant.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear-magnetic resonance spectroscopy,are used by Axel Marchal of the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) in Bordeaux.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
100% Texas grown
I'm spreading the word about a grass roots campaign that is
close to my heart. It was started by a Dallas blogger, Andrew Chalk.
He wants to redefine the 'Go Texan' wine label to mean 100% Texas-grown
grapes. As you might know, the 'Go Texan' wine label does not require
the use of any Texas-grown grapes. Much of the wine sold with this
label is simply California bulk wine shipped to Texas and bottled here.
It isn't even fermented in Texas.
If you are interested in this, please send your opinion to Lindsay Dickens (gotexan@TexasAgriculture.gov) before the December 5th deadline. The email can be as simple as 'Please define 'Go Texan' wine to be 100% Texas-grown grapes', but please put your own spin on it. Government agencies toss identical emails, so your voice won't be heard.
1. High-light and copy the email address: gotexan@TexasAgriculture.gov
2. Go to your email program and paste the address into the 'to' field (clicking on the email address may do this automatically)
3. Use the subject line ''Go Texan' wine should mean 100% Texas grapes'
4. Write your version of 'Please define 'Go Texan' wine to be 100% Texas-grown grapes'
5. Click send.
Andrew Chalk, the Dallas blogger writes: "Stop and do it now! It means more demand for Texas wine. More demand for Texas grapes. More planting of wine grapes in the state, and less California bulk wine passed off on consumers who think they are buying a Texas wine."
If you are interested in this, please send your opinion to Lindsay Dickens (gotexan@TexasAgriculture.gov) before the December 5th deadline. The email can be as simple as 'Please define 'Go Texan' wine to be 100% Texas-grown grapes', but please put your own spin on it. Government agencies toss identical emails, so your voice won't be heard.
1. High-light and copy the email address: gotexan@TexasAgriculture.gov
2. Go to your email program and paste the address into the 'to' field (clicking on the email address may do this automatically)
3. Use the subject line ''Go Texan' wine should mean 100% Texas grapes'
4. Write your version of 'Please define 'Go Texan' wine to be 100% Texas-grown grapes'
5. Click send.
Andrew Chalk, the Dallas blogger writes: "Stop and do it now! It means more demand for Texas wine. More demand for Texas grapes. More planting of wine grapes in the state, and less California bulk wine passed off on consumers who think they are buying a Texas wine."
Sunday, November 17, 2013
2013 season ending... how did we do?
We got the 2013 vine inventory done and started reviewing the data. How did we do when compared to the 2012 forecast (as described in the 2012 annual report).
We have a lot more seedlings growing than expected (1215 total vines, but expected only 900)
We had a lot less growth than expected (166 vines over waist high, but expected 320). Water problems account for some of that, but a lot of the 2012 seedlings just don't like the soil here and hardly grew at all.
We had a lot fewer vines producing ripe berries ( got 7 brix tests, but 'hoped' for 141). This was the worst forecast. We had a very late frost that decimated blossoms, but at best we were going to get 30 vines producing berries, not 141. An entirely new forecast needed here.
We exceeded expectations when it came to October ripening berries (3 late ripening vines. Only forecasted 1).
What 2013 has shown us is this: Texas vineyards need vines with a late May Floraison (blooming date). The most important breeding goal isn't PD tolerance, or an October harvest. If you don't have flowers, you don't get a crop. No crop and the vineyard goes under. If your flowers come out in April or March, the annual 'late frost' around Easter will cause them all to drop. If they are late, like the three new seedlings that produced this year, the late frost doesn't matter. In our case, we had a 75% loss of crop due to the May frost. From what I hear from the High Plains, the late frost was equally devastating.
Fortunately, we require only a minor course correction. In a sense, the river bottom location has always demanded it, whether we recognized it or not. We get an exceptionally late frost almost every year, at least compared to north-central Texas, which itself is more prone to late frosts than most other places in the US. Since we have local vines, adapted to this freakishly late-frost prone Central Texas river bottom, we have some genetic material that ought to be a good starting point for late floraison. It has been part of the 'October grape plan.' Late ripening and late flowering go together. The change in perspective is the focus on florasion itself. After another year of harvesting, it is clear that Aug harvests are a hassle, but they pay. The meager crop left after a late frost makes the August heat a non-issue in comparison. To sum it up, we need to be clear about breeding to push floraison into late May.
We have a lot more seedlings growing than expected (1215 total vines, but expected only 900)
We had a lot less growth than expected (166 vines over waist high, but expected 320). Water problems account for some of that, but a lot of the 2012 seedlings just don't like the soil here and hardly grew at all.
We had a lot fewer vines producing ripe berries ( got 7 brix tests, but 'hoped' for 141). This was the worst forecast. We had a very late frost that decimated blossoms, but at best we were going to get 30 vines producing berries, not 141. An entirely new forecast needed here.
We exceeded expectations when it came to October ripening berries (3 late ripening vines. Only forecasted 1).
What 2013 has shown us is this: Texas vineyards need vines with a late May Floraison (blooming date). The most important breeding goal isn't PD tolerance, or an October harvest. If you don't have flowers, you don't get a crop. No crop and the vineyard goes under. If your flowers come out in April or March, the annual 'late frost' around Easter will cause them all to drop. If they are late, like the three new seedlings that produced this year, the late frost doesn't matter. In our case, we had a 75% loss of crop due to the May frost. From what I hear from the High Plains, the late frost was equally devastating.
Fortunately, we require only a minor course correction. In a sense, the river bottom location has always demanded it, whether we recognized it or not. We get an exceptionally late frost almost every year, at least compared to north-central Texas, which itself is more prone to late frosts than most other places in the US. Since we have local vines, adapted to this freakishly late-frost prone Central Texas river bottom, we have some genetic material that ought to be a good starting point for late floraison. It has been part of the 'October grape plan.' Late ripening and late flowering go together. The change in perspective is the focus on florasion itself. After another year of harvesting, it is clear that Aug harvests are a hassle, but they pay. The meager crop left after a late frost makes the August heat a non-issue in comparison. To sum it up, we need to be clear about breeding to push floraison into late May.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
First fall frost for 2013
We had a frost this morning. The top of my car had that nice hard beady ice on top, though the patio thermometer said 39. I haven't seen any damage, yet. The new shoots growing from 2 cuttings seemed ok.
I'm still doing my 'seedling inventory'. This was day 3 and I'm still not finished. 1/4 of one row left, but it was getting dark and a cold wind was kicking up... so, I'll finish next weekend. Typing all my notes into Excel, and making my 2014 forecast will be a additional full day, though.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
High tech organic?
Interesting article on combining organic growing, robotics and grape processing from an article called: High-Tech Robotic Wine: The Future of Winemaking is Robots
The article contrasts the winemaker's blog which claims to use 'hand-sorted fruit', though the same winemaker touts in a Bloomberg interview the wonders of robotic sorting. The author, Mish, is making the point about how robots have an advantage compared to humans: they don't require health benefits, pensions, over-time, unemployment insurance, etc. Thought provoking.
"My goal is to be true to the fruit, let it express itself purely and
fully. Working with such a talented team, with such excellent vineyards
and in such an exceptional facility is exciting and inspiring. HALL is
truly devoted to making great wine—going about achieving that in all the
right ways: Organically farmed vineyards, hand-sorted fruit,
gravity-fed tanks, native yeast fermentations." - Steve Leveque
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Eight winemakers in Napa Valley have invested in robotic technology."
The article contrasts the winemaker's blog which claims to use 'hand-sorted fruit', though the same winemaker touts in a Bloomberg interview the wonders of robotic sorting. The author, Mish, is making the point about how robots have an advantage compared to humans: they don't require health benefits, pensions, over-time, unemployment insurance, etc. Thought provoking.
High-Tech Robotic Wine: The Future of Winemaking is Robots
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
A
robot takes pictures at 10,000 frames per second and analyzes the
grapes instantly, selecting the ones that meet Steve Leveque's
programmed specifications. Leveque is Hall's Director of Winemaking. A
puff of air blats out unwanted grapes.
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
A
robot takes pictures at 10,000 frames per second and analyzes the
grapes instantly, selecting the ones that meet Steve Leveque's
programmed specifications. Leveque is Hall's Director of Winemaking. A
puff of air blats out unwanted grapes.
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Eight winemakers in Napa Valley have invested in robotic technology.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
"A robot takes pictures at 10,000 frames per second and analyzes the grapes instantly, selecting the ones that meet Steve Leveque's programmed specifications. Leveque is Hall's Director of Winemaking. A puff of air blats out unwanted grapes.The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Eight winemakers in Napa Valley have invested in robotic technology.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
A
robot takes pictures at 10,000 frames per second and analyzes the
grapes instantly, selecting the ones that meet Steve Leveque's
programmed specifications. Leveque is Hall's Director of Winemaking. A
puff of air blats out unwanted grapes.
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Eight winemakers in Napa Valley have invested in robotic technology.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Eight winemakers in Napa Valley have invested in robotic technology.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Eight winemakers in Napa Valley have invested in robotic technology."
A
robot takes pictures at 10,000 frames per second and analyzes the
grapes instantly, selecting the ones that meet Steve Leveque's
programmed specifications. Leveque is Hall's Director of Winemaking. A
puff of air blats out unwanted grapes.
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
The robot does the job of 60 laborers in just a few hours. Leveque expects a return on his robotic investment in a couple of years.
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/10/high-tech-robotic-wine-future-of.html#OWOq4v5kVAVTJP7g.99
Saturday, September 28, 2013
French Wine Test Finds Pesticides in Each of 92 Bottles Analyzed
"Laboratory testing of 92 French wines from across the country found pesticide traces in every bottle, ... Wine producers in France account for 3.7 percent of farmland and 20 percent of the country’s pesticide use, the group said..."
... even bottles of 'organically grown' wine had traces of pesticides.
"The wines were tested using gas and liquid mass spectrometry that allowed detection of “very low” quantities of molecules of [between] 1 to 10 micrograms, ..."
The quantities are very low. The larger impact is probably felt by field workers and any organisms, including people, downwind or downstream.
"Laboratory testing of 92 French wines from across the country found pesticide traces in every bottle, ... Wine producers in France account for 3.7 percent of farmland and 20 percent of the country’s pesticide use, the group said..."
... even bottles of 'organically grown' wine had traces of pesticides.
"The wines were tested using gas and liquid mass spectrometry that allowed detection of “very low” quantities of molecules of [between] 1 to 10 micrograms, ..."
The quantities are very low. The larger impact is probably felt by field workers and any organisms, including people, downwind or downstream.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Lots of good ideas here: "Creating the Wines of Tomorrow", on Wine-searcher:
“Selecting varieties more resistant to disease seems to us the only solution for reducing pesticide use,” says Hernán Ojeda, an Argentinian engineer who is manager of the Pech Rouge experimental unit.
Vines are the second-most heavily sprayed plants in France, after apples, with spraying occurring between 6 and 20 times a season, depending on the region and the weather. Little trace of spraying remains in the wines, but the same cannot be said for the soils and run-off water.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Out of town visitor
An old friend happened to be in town, and came by to visit the vineyard. It was his first visit. I gave him my 'breeding grapes for Texas' story, with an emphasis on late frosts and the perfection of Glen Rose as a place to breed for late bloom. We then had a glass of Lenoir - Tempranillo from Red Caboose Winery I had purchased just for such an occasion. Wonderful.
I think this was the first out of town guest to visit the vineyard.
Before he left, he mentioned some nervousness after driving up the bluff to the house. "I didn't see any signs of a vineyard, but did see 4 cars. I expected 2 cars. You know how people in Texas are about privacy. I didn't want someone to walk out the door with a rifle."
This leads me to fantasize a bit. It would be nice to have a wine grotto with grape vines lining the path to it, and a vineyard off in the distance...
I think this was the first out of town guest to visit the vineyard.
Before he left, he mentioned some nervousness after driving up the bluff to the house. "I didn't see any signs of a vineyard, but did see 4 cars. I expected 2 cars. You know how people in Texas are about privacy. I didn't want someone to walk out the door with a rifle."
This leads me to fantasize a bit. It would be nice to have a wine grotto with grape vines lining the path to it, and a vineyard off in the distance...
Sunday, July 21, 2013
2012 crosses are planted!
The 2012 crosses have all been planted! The white tubes provide afternoon shade. There a 7 rows of seedlings, and one of blackberries. The 7th row was the last planted, and had a lot of hard clay for about 10' near the the eastern edge. The rows are on 16' spacing to allow for new rows in between this year's rows.
Some healthy seedling photos
Below are some photos I took today of the healthiest 2012 crosses. We had 3 inches of rain last week and some seedlings are putting on a growth burst. Click on the photo to enlarge.
On the left, Doaniana Montague x Dornfelder. On the right, Linny lincecumi x Tannat. Note the somewhat yellow leaves on the Linny cross (right side). Other members of this Linny cross seem to have the problem, too. Extra and Long John, two Munson lincecumi crosses, sometimes exhibit yellow leaves here (chlorosis?), so it may be a problem lincecumi has with the heat or the clay. The Montague x Dornfelder (left) is very reminiscent of last year's Dornfelder x OP (prob. self pollinated), at least in terms of leave geometry and color. These seedlings couldn't make it through the summer heat, though. In contrast, this 2012 Dornfelder cross is having no problems with the heat.
With that said, look at this Chalk Mountain cinerea x Extra cross. No yellow leaves here.
Finally, here is Doaniana Montague x French Mystery vine. I think this is the healthiest cross as a group.
On the left, Doaniana Montague x Dornfelder. On the right, Linny lincecumi x Tannat. Note the somewhat yellow leaves on the Linny cross (right side). Other members of this Linny cross seem to have the problem, too. Extra and Long John, two Munson lincecumi crosses, sometimes exhibit yellow leaves here (chlorosis?), so it may be a problem lincecumi has with the heat or the clay. The Montague x Dornfelder (left) is very reminiscent of last year's Dornfelder x OP (prob. self pollinated), at least in terms of leave geometry and color. These seedlings couldn't make it through the summer heat, though. In contrast, this 2012 Dornfelder cross is having no problems with the heat.
With that said, look at this Chalk Mountain cinerea x Extra cross. No yellow leaves here.
Finally, here is Doaniana Montague x French Mystery vine. I think this is the healthiest cross as a group.
Some reorganization here
I'm working on doing a better job distinguishing the 'October grape project' blog from
the 'Mills Vineyard' blog. In general, I want this to be more of a diary
of what goes on in the vineyard, and 'October Grape Project' is more of a
'big picture' view with a specific focus on breeding a grape for North
and Central Texas.
With this in mind, I'm moved the 'River Vineyard mysteries' post over from the 'October Grape Project'. It is a diary entry.
With this in mind, I'm moved the 'River Vineyard mysteries' post over from the 'October Grape Project'. It is a diary entry.
Moved from 'October Grape': River Vineyard mysteries
The river-vineyard has 5 of 6 rows planted. To check my
record keeping, I tried to 'balance' the 'new vineyard' spreadsheet,
which was started when I cleaned the seeds and has been updated
periodically ever since, against what I counted in the river-vineyard
and 14 remaining pots.
Here is what I discovered. The river-vineyard has 3 sets of mystery plants, plants with suspect lineage. First, there are offspring of Rich's 'mystery vine'. Rich's mystery vine is one of his favorites. Seedlings from this vine are among the most vigorous river-vineyard vines. Pedigree? Oh, well...
Second, there is the pot whose label said 'Missing spoon'. The pot was planted out and covers 14 dripper locations, the largest group we planted. I use plastic spoons covered with metalic tape to record the cross in each pot. This pot seems to have lost its spoon, so at some unrecorded moment this spring, I put a 'missing spoon' spoon in that pot.
After carefully checking my spreadsheet, all the river vineyard vines and remaining pots, there were only two spreadsheet entries that were not accounted for:
CA 06-38-1 x Carnelian (on 5/4/13, my records said there were 20 seedlings)
Doaniana Montague x Carnelian (on 5/4/13 there were 5 seedlings)
Since we planted 14+ seedlings, the 'missing spoon' pot was probably 'CA 06-38-1 x Carnelian'. The Doaniana x Carnelian pot was probably the one attacked by snails, and got removed at some point. (I only had one pot suffer from snails)
I'll leave the '?' on the label until the seedlings grow out and we can confirm the guess.
Finally, there was one pot with a label that wasn't in my spreadsheet: Z89-9-3 x Cabernet Sauvignon. The label is pretty clear about what it says, so I'm very sure it wasn't in my spreadsheet. What can I say, it is another mystery. I'm just going to add it to the spreadsheet now, and plant the pot. Additionally, there was an extra unplanted 'Doaniana Montague x Cab' pot. Having two Cabernet crosses omitted from the spreadsheet is troubling, but the labels are both explicit (and in my hand writing).
Mea culpa. My record keeping has flaws. All I can do is record the issues as I find them.
If you have gotten this far, here is a screen shot of my spreadsheet. The top 14 entries are "row 6" of the new river-vineyard. The 'planting or greenhouse' numbers are for 'dripper sites'. Generally, there are two seedlings at each dripper location.
Below that is an inventory of the seedlings still in pots. For these entries, the 'planting or greenhouse' number is a direct count.
The first 5 river-vineyard rows are shown in my 7/11/13 entry.
Click to enlarge...
Here is an update on this year's seedlings as of 7/8/13. Of note, the z89-9-3 x Jupiter has been the weakest cross as a group. I'm having to work to keep 3 seedlings alive, hiding them from the sun. Rich's Montague x French Mystery vine seems to be the healthiest.
I'm still planting seedlings as they get large enough to handle the sun. A new row will probably get planted this weekend.
Click on the list to enlarge it.
Here is what I discovered. The river-vineyard has 3 sets of mystery plants, plants with suspect lineage. First, there are offspring of Rich's 'mystery vine'. Rich's mystery vine is one of his favorites. Seedlings from this vine are among the most vigorous river-vineyard vines. Pedigree? Oh, well...
Second, there is the pot whose label said 'Missing spoon'. The pot was planted out and covers 14 dripper locations, the largest group we planted. I use plastic spoons covered with metalic tape to record the cross in each pot. This pot seems to have lost its spoon, so at some unrecorded moment this spring, I put a 'missing spoon' spoon in that pot.
After carefully checking my spreadsheet, all the river vineyard vines and remaining pots, there were only two spreadsheet entries that were not accounted for:
CA 06-38-1 x Carnelian (on 5/4/13, my records said there were 20 seedlings)
Doaniana Montague x Carnelian (on 5/4/13 there were 5 seedlings)
Since we planted 14+ seedlings, the 'missing spoon' pot was probably 'CA 06-38-1 x Carnelian'. The Doaniana x Carnelian pot was probably the one attacked by snails, and got removed at some point. (I only had one pot suffer from snails)
I'll leave the '?' on the label until the seedlings grow out and we can confirm the guess.
Finally, there was one pot with a label that wasn't in my spreadsheet: Z89-9-3 x Cabernet Sauvignon. The label is pretty clear about what it says, so I'm very sure it wasn't in my spreadsheet. What can I say, it is another mystery. I'm just going to add it to the spreadsheet now, and plant the pot. Additionally, there was an extra unplanted 'Doaniana Montague x Cab' pot. Having two Cabernet crosses omitted from the spreadsheet is troubling, but the labels are both explicit (and in my hand writing).
Mea culpa. My record keeping has flaws. All I can do is record the issues as I find them.
If you have gotten this far, here is a screen shot of my spreadsheet. The top 14 entries are "row 6" of the new river-vineyard. The 'planting or greenhouse' numbers are for 'dripper sites'. Generally, there are two seedlings at each dripper location.
Below that is an inventory of the seedlings still in pots. For these entries, the 'planting or greenhouse' number is a direct count.
The first 5 river-vineyard rows are shown in my 7/11/13 entry.
Click to enlarge...
Here is an update on this year's seedlings as of 7/8/13. Of note, the z89-9-3 x Jupiter has been the weakest cross as a group. I'm having to work to keep 3 seedlings alive, hiding them from the sun. Rich's Montague x French Mystery vine seems to be the healthiest.
I'm still planting seedlings as they get large enough to handle the sun. A new row will probably get planted this weekend.
Click on the list to enlarge it.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Doaniana Montague blossom
This
bud survived a light frost Friday morning (31.6 degrees, some damage to
seedlings I forgot to protect), and a hard freeze on March 26 (11 days
ago, 25 degrees).
This is a unique trait in my vineyard. I've never gotten a blossom from a vine that had leafed out prior to a frost. Perhaps this is a Texas adaptation since late frosts are so common. Doaniana is special.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Texas grape tent
We are making a lot of progress on the 'grape tent'. We have built the end posts and beams for a pergola that will eventually spread over the whole west vineyarWe have built the end posts and beams for a pergola that will eventually spread over the whole west vineyard. Vines will be allowed to grow up and over the pergola wires, creating a big tent. This is an southern Italian technique call 'tendone' (tent).
I think this will help protect the soil and mulch from the summer sun.
Pergolas, everyone loves pergolas!
I think this will help protect the soil and mulch from the summer sun.
Pergolas, everyone loves pergolas!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Pruning day, 2013
It took me an hour and twenty minutes to prune the vineyard this evening. It is amazing what one can do with a battery powered headlight. The Lomanto, one of the Doaniana Montague crosses and couple of the Cinerea x Mourvedre crosses are starting to display swollen buds, but everything else is still sleeping. The variation in Cinerea x Mourvedre crosses will be worth paying more attention to as things develop.
It was an interesting evening. There was talk of a comet being visible at sundown, but we didn't see anything. I got to see the first signs of progress on the pergola. The pergola is going provide an overhead growing environment for the top 4 rows in the west vineyard. I'm interested in seeing if this helps my efforts to improve the soil by shading it from the summer sun.
It was an interesting evening. There was talk of a comet being visible at sundown, but we didn't see anything. I got to see the first signs of progress on the pergola. The pergola is going provide an overhead growing environment for the top 4 rows in the west vineyard. I'm interested in seeing if this helps my efforts to improve the soil by shading it from the summer sun.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Planting weekend
I took a vacation day Friday. We worked on the trellis in the morning Friday, and I spent the afternoon buying parts for the expanded water system. Saturday and Sunday, I was 'heeling' cuttings. I would have liked to simply plant the cuttings were we expect them to stay, but my rows are not ready (and won't be for at least 3 weeks), so they went into the below heap of sand and clay next to the 'big hole'.
Pretty nondescript. A lot of effort went into this, though.
Here is my workshop. It was in the shade when I started, but things changed as the afternoon slipped by.
It is very portable. A chair/Kneeler. A box to serve as desk and workbench. On the workbench is a sharpy, two knives and some scratch paper. Additionally, there are two watering pots and several bags (one of which was a trash bag). Not shown is a small bottle of rooting hormone. It is hiding behind the light green water can. This was taken when I was done, so the ten or show packages of cuttings have been converted into rooting material and heeled (see above).
Left to right on the berm (of course you can't see any of this):
1. Chambercin on Doanian Montegue (discovered in the refrigerator after photo)
2. Blanc Du Bois on Doanian Montegue (discovered in the refrigerator after photo)
3. Syrah on 1103P
4. Austin's blanc on Doaniana Pomeroy
5. Stover on Pomeroy
6. Captivator
7. Austin's blanc
8 Albarino
9. Delaicatessen
10. Nero d'Alvola
11. Hildago or Wetumca
12. America
13. Chambercin x Norton on Pomeroy (after photo, they were discovered in the refrigerator
14. Victoria Red (Planted Sunday night after being discovered in the second refrigerator)
15. K1 ((Planted Sunday night after being discovered in the second refrigerator)
Blackberries (to the left of the grapes, not in the photo
Top row, left to right
1. Rosborough
2. Brison
3. Kiowa TP 986
Second row
Womack
The blackberries were purchased about a month ago (same time as pecan trees), but stayed in the refrigerator until today. They were probaby too close to freezing (as in frozen) at least some of the time. (Old/poor quality equipment.)
The blackberries are root cuttings and are not to freeze. Of the 4, I only noticed damage on the Womack. About 1/4 of the root cuttings had a white fuzzy mold growing. Probably not a good sign.
Several of the cuttings froze, too. They are supposed to do better, so I am not so worried about them.
I have a number of cutting still in the refrigerator (probably frozen) in case I have a chance to do grafting later in March:
Chamborcin
Stover (lots)
Delicatessen
Victoria Red
Albarino
Nero d'Alvola
Austing's Blanc
Captivator
K1
It will be interesting to see if any of this works.
Here is something that didn't work. I tried to graft some Victoria Red to mustang, but the plastic tape was left outside and got glued to itself and I couldn't get it unwound enough to work with it it. I was running out of time, and couldn't find my knife in the box (same workshop). I wasn't familiar with what I was doing, so frustration got the better of me.
I quit and went inside. It was getting dark, anyway. I found the knife in the box almost as soon as I sat down and relaxed a bit.
Anyway, here is the field graft process I had settled on. The tool needed is listed to the right. I'll try it again in a few weeks.
1. wrap 2 scion cutting ends (plastic wrap)
2. saw down the mustang (this moved to #1 when I tried it) (saw and pick-axe)
3. hammer the cleaver blade into the trunk (mallet and ear plugs)
4. slice up the scion cuttings to a 'v' for insertion (razor knife)
5. wet everyting down and insert the scion wood (water bottle)
6. wrap everything
Finally, since we are all so expectant about the weekend. I hurt my right ear unloading metal pipes, Friday (I can't do that again without ear protectors!). I've got a rasp that garbles my speech if I talk at a normal level. If I keep my comments soft, no problem, no rasp. It is like torn speaker cone sound. It is a bit better today. I hope it goes away, but who knows.
Pretty nondescript. A lot of effort went into this, though.
Here is my workshop. It was in the shade when I started, but things changed as the afternoon slipped by.
It is very portable. A chair/Kneeler. A box to serve as desk and workbench. On the workbench is a sharpy, two knives and some scratch paper. Additionally, there are two watering pots and several bags (one of which was a trash bag). Not shown is a small bottle of rooting hormone. It is hiding behind the light green water can. This was taken when I was done, so the ten or show packages of cuttings have been converted into rooting material and heeled (see above).
Left to right on the berm (of course you can't see any of this):
1. Chambercin on Doanian Montegue (discovered in the refrigerator after photo)
2. Blanc Du Bois on Doanian Montegue (discovered in the refrigerator after photo)
3. Syrah on 1103P
4. Austin's blanc on Doaniana Pomeroy
5. Stover on Pomeroy
6. Captivator
7. Austin's blanc
8 Albarino
9. Delaicatessen
10. Nero d'Alvola
11. Hildago or Wetumca
12. America
13. Chambercin x Norton on Pomeroy (after photo, they were discovered in the refrigerator
14. Victoria Red (Planted Sunday night after being discovered in the second refrigerator)
15. K1 ((Planted Sunday night after being discovered in the second refrigerator)
Blackberries (to the left of the grapes, not in the photo
Top row, left to right
1. Rosborough
2. Brison
3. Kiowa TP 986
Second row
Womack
The blackberries were purchased about a month ago (same time as pecan trees), but stayed in the refrigerator until today. They were probaby too close to freezing (as in frozen) at least some of the time. (Old/poor quality equipment.)
The blackberries are root cuttings and are not to freeze. Of the 4, I only noticed damage on the Womack. About 1/4 of the root cuttings had a white fuzzy mold growing. Probably not a good sign.
Several of the cuttings froze, too. They are supposed to do better, so I am not so worried about them.
I have a number of cutting still in the refrigerator (probably frozen) in case I have a chance to do grafting later in March:
Chamborcin
Stover (lots)
Delicatessen
Victoria Red
Albarino
Nero d'Alvola
Austing's Blanc
Captivator
K1
It will be interesting to see if any of this works.
Here is something that didn't work. I tried to graft some Victoria Red to mustang, but the plastic tape was left outside and got glued to itself and I couldn't get it unwound enough to work with it it. I was running out of time, and couldn't find my knife in the box (same workshop). I wasn't familiar with what I was doing, so frustration got the better of me.
I quit and went inside. It was getting dark, anyway. I found the knife in the box almost as soon as I sat down and relaxed a bit.
Anyway, here is the field graft process I had settled on. The tool needed is listed to the right. I'll try it again in a few weeks.
1. wrap 2 scion cutting ends (plastic wrap)
2. saw down the mustang (this moved to #1 when I tried it) (saw and pick-axe)
3. hammer the cleaver blade into the trunk (mallet and ear plugs)
4. slice up the scion cuttings to a 'v' for insertion (razor knife)
5. wet everyting down and insert the scion wood (water bottle)
6. wrap everything
Finally, since we are all so expectant about the weekend. I hurt my right ear unloading metal pipes, Friday (I can't do that again without ear protectors!). I've got a rasp that garbles my speech if I talk at a normal level. If I keep my comments soft, no problem, no rasp. It is like torn speaker cone sound. It is a bit better today. I hope it goes away, but who knows.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Update, first week of March
The goat fence is basically complete. Except for a chain on one gate, we are ready to let the goats out in their new pasture. Next up... the rain collection system.
Three weeks ago (2/9/13), we went to the annual TOFGA convention (Austin, this year). Had a great time.
Three weeks ago (2/9/13), we went to the annual TOFGA convention (Austin, this year). Had a great time.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
River Vineyard update
We are making progress on the River Vineyard. It is about half an acre.
Why the River? Because the Pierce Disease pressure is higher by the water. This will weed out the crosses with no PD tolerance.
Here is a photo of the soil. There is a lot of clay and very fine sand. I'll be getting some soil samples analyzed.
Why the River? Because the Pierce Disease pressure is higher by the water. This will weed out the crosses with no PD tolerance.
Here is a photo of the soil. There is a lot of clay and very fine sand. I'll be getting some soil samples analyzed.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Gravel road maintenance
How to operate a tractor: Part 1
There is a comment about potential difficulties with PTO setup here that seems to be mentioned here.
By ABIattachments
Repairing potholes 101
There is a comment about potential difficulties with PTO setup here that seems to be mentioned here.
By ABIattachments
Repairing potholes 101
Front end loader add on tools
DIY 1-bar FEL, 2-bar FEL tools for trenching.
Simple home made trenching tool (adding 1 bar to front-end-loader, across loader):
Homemade pallet forks for BX25 (adding two bars to a front-end-loader, across loader pan)
Simple home made trenching tool (adding 1 bar to front-end-loader, across loader):
Homemade pallet forks for BX25 (adding two bars to a front-end-loader, across loader pan)
Monday, January 28, 2013
New vineyard construction starts
Our first project of 2013 is the new fence that will keep the goats out of what will be the new the 'river' vineyard. We got started by cutting down 5 or so tall red oaks that died in the drought of 2011. Today, we started replacing the old horse fence with new goat fence from the horse pen to the Northwest property line.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Notaviva Vineyard
I came across the Notaviva vineyard (Virginia) while searching for trellis supplies. It doesn't sell any trellis supplies, nor use the kind of trellis I want, but it is a nice blog and documents both a love story and the construction of a vineyard. Que Bueno!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Exploring the river bank
I have lived here since 1997, but never explored the river bank. Based on our eastern neighbors rock work, it seemed there was a rock ledge about half way down the bank. Today, I took my trusty chain saw and cut a path through the brush, trying to follow that outcrop along our heavily wooded river bank.
I started at the eastern side of the property, where the neighbors had built rock walls along the bank. These walls generally followed outcrops that had always been visible. Our bank has always been wooded, and devoid of obvious outcrops, but I could make out the general form of the outcrop's lip. Above the lip, the bank had only a shallow slope. Below it, the bank was much steeper. As I made a trail through the brush, I noticed junipers seemed to sit right on the lip. All I had to do was cut a trail just up the bank from this line of junipers.
It turned out the line ran all the way from our eastern property line to the western corner. In fact, just on the other side of the property western line, another outcrop emerges from the river bank. There is also a 2nd lower bank that seems to emerge about 2/3s of the way to the western property line. This one is about 6 feet below the first.
A very interesting trail!
I started at the eastern side of the property, where the neighbors had built rock walls along the bank. These walls generally followed outcrops that had always been visible. Our bank has always been wooded, and devoid of obvious outcrops, but I could make out the general form of the outcrop's lip. Above the lip, the bank had only a shallow slope. Below it, the bank was much steeper. As I made a trail through the brush, I noticed junipers seemed to sit right on the lip. All I had to do was cut a trail just up the bank from this line of junipers.
It turned out the line ran all the way from our eastern property line to the western corner. In fact, just on the other side of the property western line, another outcrop emerges from the river bank. There is also a 2nd lower bank that seems to emerge about 2/3s of the way to the western property line. This one is about 6 feet below the first.
A very interesting trail!
Growing Degree Days - Comparisions
I came across a nice Growing Degree Days calculator on the Weather Channel.
Here is a comparison of the Fort Worth - Dallas, Tx area to other wine growing cities. As you can see, Texas is much like North Africa in terms of 'growing degree days'. Central Texas gets 30 inches of rain. Tunis gets 18.
Here is a comparison of the Fort Worth - Dallas, Tx area to other wine growing cities. As you can see, Texas is much like North Africa in terms of 'growing degree days'. Central Texas gets 30 inches of rain. Tunis gets 18.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Pergola Tendone (tent)
Tendone or Pergola Abruzzo
The wire scaffolding is from 6 to 7 feet high. From vertical trunks, 3 to 5 canes branch off horizontally and form a continuous cover over the ground. The scaffolding rests on iron or concrete poles. The canes are arranged radially for a length of about 6 feet. Canes are productive for 2 or 3 years, then pruned away for younger canes.
Here is how it might look. This is from the Abruzzo region, immediately east of Rome.
This form of viticulture is famous for the quantity of grapes it produces:
Sicily's Giuseppe Guastella of Mazzarrone in Catania with his Victoria grapes. This production is obtained in polyethylene sheeted greenhouses without artificial heating. The sheeting causes elevated temperatures inside the greenhouse allowing early budding, flowering and ripening.
Here is
another tendone. This one in the Basilicata region, just north of
Sicily. Note the shade. For an organic Texas grower, all that shade is
This is an ancient growing style, and has been criticized by some agricultural specialists who favor industrialized techniques developed in cooler climates such as France, California and Australia for Vertical Positioned Shoots (VSP) trellis variants.
Advertised advantages of VSP over tendone include:
1. More resistant to adverse conditions such as fog and high humidity during the harvest
2. Higher sugar content at maturity occurred due to a lower yield per plant
3. More uniform maturation
4. Ease in mechanizing vineyard operations
This is a matter of some controversy. See my 'VSP or Pergola' post or Maurizo Gily's 'Demise of the Italian Pergola Trellis' (which is optimistic about the Italian pergola's future).
The wire scaffolding is from 6 to 7 feet high. From vertical trunks, 3 to 5 canes branch off horizontally and form a continuous cover over the ground. The scaffolding rests on iron or concrete poles. The canes are arranged radially for a length of about 6 feet. Canes are productive for 2 or 3 years, then pruned away for younger canes.
Here is how it might look. This is from the Abruzzo region, immediately east of Rome.
This form of viticulture is famous for the quantity of grapes it produces:
This is an ancient growing style, and has been criticized by some agricultural specialists who favor industrialized techniques developed in cooler climates such as France, California and Australia for Vertical Positioned Shoots (VSP) trellis variants.
Advertised advantages of VSP over tendone include:
1. More resistant to adverse conditions such as fog and high humidity during the harvest
2. Higher sugar content at maturity occurred due to a lower yield per plant
3. More uniform maturation
4. Ease in mechanizing vineyard operations
This is a matter of some controversy. See my 'VSP or Pergola' post or Maurizo Gily's 'Demise of the Italian Pergola Trellis' (which is optimistic about the Italian pergola's future).
Pergola Romagnola
Ok. These are both too abstract, so here is photo from Leone Conti winery is located in the hills above Faenza. Unlike the Veronese pergola that lifts the arbor, the 'pergola romagnola' uses suspension wires.
Trentina Pergola
Trentina Pergola
Comativ (seems to be a manufacturer of metal and prestressed concrete poles for agriculture)
Here is an alternative version:
Comativ (seems to be a manufacturer of metal and prestressed concrete poles for agriculture)
Here is an alternative version:
Veronese Pergolas
It has not been easy to find example pergola trellis system plans. So far, the best I have done is find photos of them on the web.
Here the best example that I've found: Marco Mosconi:
What catches my eye here is the the tall center posts and web-like pergola trellis. There may be a suspension system here with thin wire that cannot be seen in the photo.
What catches my eye here is diagonal 'edge' beams. I suspect there are thin wires that cannot be seen in the photo that go down vertically to the ground. A thicker cable connects the diagonal beams. I'd love to know the details of this scheme. It seems be be called a 'Veronese Pergola '.
The 1st minute in the below video covers several 'Veronese Pergola systems.
Here the best example that I've found: Marco Mosconi:
What catches my eye here is the the tall center posts and web-like pergola trellis. There may be a suspension system here with thin wire that cannot be seen in the photo.
What catches my eye here is diagonal 'edge' beams. I suspect there are thin wires that cannot be seen in the photo that go down vertically to the ground. A thicker cable connects the diagonal beams. I'd love to know the details of this scheme. It seems be be called a 'Veronese Pergola '.
According to V.I.P.I., in English: 'The vineyard store, accessories for vineyards,' located near Brescia, IT, there are several pergola systems:
Below is a YouTube video demonstrating how new shoots are tied to a Veronese Pergola:
Below is a YouTube video demonstrating how new shoots are tied to a Veronese Pergola:
The 1st minute in the below video covers several 'Veronese Pergola systems.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Notes on the soil
The vineyard is on a
river bank. Next to the river, the soil is sandy. About 300 feet from
the river bank is a limestone outcrop. As you get closer to the
limestone, the soil increases in clay content and limestone cobbles grow
more common. Near the outcrop, it is a clay loam with many cobbles,
some very large. I started planting about 60 feet from the outcrop, and
have added rows to fill in the area up to the outcrop.
This year, I'm starting a new set of rows adjacent to the river bank, where the soil is very sandy. The Pierce's Disease pressure should be higher, too. The sharpshooters that carry the bacteria need the active growth near the water's edge. The higher PD pressure will help the selection process.
The pH is around 8.0.
I've been planting seedlings from a single cross in different soils to see if they have preferences. Some crosses clearly prefer specific soil types, but my impressions are entirely anecdotal. The wild cinereas like the limestone cobbles. The wild mustangs like the sand. Rupestris is pretty vigorous in the loamy area. I'll plant some new largely rupestris seedlings up the near the limestone this spring.
Crosses with lots of aestivalis or labrusca crosses don't grow very well anywhere in the vineyard. I don't know if it is the heat, the Pierce's Disease or something else.
This year, I'm starting a new set of rows adjacent to the river bank, where the soil is very sandy. The Pierce's Disease pressure should be higher, too. The sharpshooters that carry the bacteria need the active growth near the water's edge. The higher PD pressure will help the selection process.
The pH is around 8.0.
I've been planting seedlings from a single cross in different soils to see if they have preferences. Some crosses clearly prefer specific soil types, but my impressions are entirely anecdotal. The wild cinereas like the limestone cobbles. The wild mustangs like the sand. Rupestris is pretty vigorous in the loamy area. I'll plant some new largely rupestris seedlings up the near the limestone this spring.
Crosses with lots of aestivalis or labrusca crosses don't grow very well anywhere in the vineyard. I don't know if it is the heat, the Pierce's Disease or something else.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
VSP or Pergola?
Anyone who has lived through a Central Texas summer knows how important shade can be. Would it be any different for organic life in Texas soil?
With this in mind, I've noticed that the ancient Romans and their modern decedents in Italy and Spain have traditionally grown grapes on pergolas.
Table grapes near harvest supported by a Pergola near Zaragoza, Spain
In the pergola system, shoot-positioning is not required and canopy management is limited. The average Italian vineyard is less than 4ha in area so finding people to harvest the grapes is less of a concern, though two issues work against the pergola trellis: the position of the arms makes harvesting difficult; and the overhead design makes it difficult to use a modern tractor."
In Italy, there is something of a controversy over the benefits of moving to the northern style: "(Guyot trellis system, largely adopted in Valpolicello around 20 years ago and now believed to produce lower quality grapes than the pergola system)"
Here is a similar description of the controversy, but in Argentina, at similar latitudes to Texas.
"The soils throughout Argentina were developed by alluvial action and vary between sandy with some clay and gravel and limestone. Soils in the Río Negro and Neuquén (Patagonia) regions are more chalky. Some areas languish in traditional support systems where grapes are grown on pergolas (“parral cuyano”), where vines are trained high off the ground with the clusters allowed to hang down. This style was conducive to the high-yielding Criollas varieties that were the backbone of the bulk wine-producing industry that sprang up in response to the large domestic market. In the late 20th century, as the market turned to focus more on premium wine production, more producers switched back to the traditional bilateral cordon and many adopted the vertical shoot position system. In the 1970s, yields were reported as surpassing 20 tons per acre in sharp contrast to the average yields in premium wine regions such as Bordeaux and Napa Valley of 2 to 5 tons an acre. Today vineyards are managed to produce quality fruit with improvements in irrigation strategies, yield control, canopy management, and the construction of more wine-making facilities closer to the vineyards."
Here is another webpage on the subject:
"As far as vine training is concerned they have had VSP (vertical shoot positioning) since 1982 but they also have the more traditional pergola system for some vineyards, and for some of the best ones too!
The belief that the traditional pergola system is generally inferior to other systems in terms of the quality of fruit it produces appears not to be true, at least when it comes to a vigorous variety like Viognier.
With VSP, their yield is 10-12,000 kg per ha, but with the pergola system, not only is the yield much greater at 20,000 kg per ha but the quality is much higher.
Francisco explained that with VSP, Viognier enters a vicious circle which is difficult to break once established – vigour increases while quality decreases.
This is a good counter-argument example for the MW essay question, ‘Low yield equals quality'! "
All this seems interesting. Maybe I'm being too simple, but the soil health seems to trump all arguments. More shade means healthier soil. Healthy soil should produce higher quality fruit. This is Texas. There is a lot more sum than even in southern France. It seems that grape growers at latitudes similar to Texas tend to use pergolas, those in more northern latitudes use trellis. This is particularly true in earlier times with more sustainable practices were in use.
I wonder how this issue could be settled scientifically?
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
2012 annual report
The Mills Vineyard is located in Glen Rose, Tx (80 miles southwest of Fort Worth). The first vines were planted in 2005. Wild mustang and cinerea grapes love it here. Commercial wine grapes, with the exception of Lenoir, don't last but a year or two. Thus, over the last 5 years, we've started breeding our own grapes by crossing wild and commercial varieties. Since we are selecting for health, we use no pesticides or fertilizers.
The vineyard is only 0.25 acres and over 400 vines. In total, we produced about 0.25 gallons of grape juice (Extra) in 2012. The most ever! No wine making attempts, the juice was excellent and vanished within a few days of being picked.
All the vines are unique crosses. Lenoir produces commercially acceptable fruit, but it buds too early and ripens in the heat of August when temperatures are in the 100s.
The vineyard includes eight varieties that can be purchased at nurseries. In terms of health here, the 'standard' vines are ranked below from healthy to dead:
Extra (vigorous)
Black Spanish (vigorous)
Champanel (good growth)
Favorite (ok growth)
Villard Blanc (slow growth)
Seyval (slow growth)
Chambourcin (near death, never flowers)
Norton (near death, never flowers)
[Blanc du Bois and several vinifera vines died within a year or two of planting]
We suspect the ranking reflects the following issue. They trouble some varieites more than others:
Pierce's Disease (obvious)
High soil pH (obvious)
August heat (obvious)
irrigation with salty well water (obvious)
Cotton root rot (possible)
Phyloxera (possible)
We are currently in the 'breeding' phase. In particular, we are looking for vines that can be harvested in October. Due to the unique climatic conditions here, a Central Texas vine that ripens in October will be uniquely Texan. It won't ripen anywhere in California, France or Australia. They don't have enough hot days and warm nights.
We had 2 new crosses produce fruit in 2012, in each case we got one cluster. All ripened prior to August 15:
Alphonse d'Serres x op (Ambers)
Munson Centennial seedling #1
We anticipate about 75 new crosses that will produce their first fruit in 2013. We expect that number of new 'varieties' (or more) to start making fruit every year for the next 5 years. We will start crossing our best F1 vines in 2014. At some point, the characteristics we are looking for ought to emerge.
The vineyard should expand to 2 or 3 acres by 2015, and potentially grow to a second vineyard in 2016. We would like to start producing some wine for personal consumption in 2013. We don't anticipate selling anything until sometime after 2016.
New objectives for 2013:
Start second vineyard on the river bank (more room and higher PD pressure)
Expand the Hugelkultur experiment with 2 more rows (for soil enhancement, water management)
Start using organic sprays (dormant oil? stylet oil?)
Do gas chromatography to evaluate flavor profiles of new variety fruit
Get at least 1 graft to survive
Establish a monticola vine
Start the process of following organic standards for growing. We have been more worried about water than being systemically organic. Except for drip irrigation, the vines are on their own. The chemical I'll need to stop using is imidacloprid. We've been using that to kill root borers that have infested some of the fruit trees in the vineyard. The last application of imidacloprid was June of 2012.
The vineyard is only 0.25 acres and over 400 vines. In total, we produced about 0.25 gallons of grape juice (Extra) in 2012. The most ever! No wine making attempts, the juice was excellent and vanished within a few days of being picked.
All the vines are unique crosses. Lenoir produces commercially acceptable fruit, but it buds too early and ripens in the heat of August when temperatures are in the 100s.
The vineyard includes eight varieties that can be purchased at nurseries. In terms of health here, the 'standard' vines are ranked below from healthy to dead:
Extra (vigorous)
Black Spanish (vigorous)
Champanel (good growth)
Favorite (ok growth)
Villard Blanc (slow growth)
Seyval (slow growth)
Chambourcin (near death, never flowers)
Norton (near death, never flowers)
[Blanc du Bois and several vinifera vines died within a year or two of planting]
We suspect the ranking reflects the following issue. They trouble some varieites more than others:
Pierce's Disease (obvious)
High soil pH (obvious)
August heat (obvious)
irrigation with salty well water (obvious)
Cotton root rot (possible)
Phyloxera (possible)
We are currently in the 'breeding' phase. In particular, we are looking for vines that can be harvested in October. Due to the unique climatic conditions here, a Central Texas vine that ripens in October will be uniquely Texan. It won't ripen anywhere in California, France or Australia. They don't have enough hot days and warm nights.
We had 2 new crosses produce fruit in 2012, in each case we got one cluster. All ripened prior to August 15:
Alphonse d'Serres x op (Ambers)
Munson Centennial seedling #1
We anticipate about 75 new crosses that will produce their first fruit in 2013. We expect that number of new 'varieties' (or more) to start making fruit every year for the next 5 years. We will start crossing our best F1 vines in 2014. At some point, the characteristics we are looking for ought to emerge.
The vineyard should expand to 2 or 3 acres by 2015, and potentially grow to a second vineyard in 2016. We would like to start producing some wine for personal consumption in 2013. We don't anticipate selling anything until sometime after 2016.
New objectives for 2013:
Start second vineyard on the river bank (more room and higher PD pressure)
Expand the Hugelkultur experiment with 2 more rows (for soil enhancement, water management)
Start using organic sprays (dormant oil? stylet oil?)
Do gas chromatography to evaluate flavor profiles of new variety fruit
Get at least 1 graft to survive
Establish a monticola vine
Start the process of following organic standards for growing. We have been more worried about water than being systemically organic. Except for drip irrigation, the vines are on their own. The chemical I'll need to stop using is imidacloprid. We've been using that to kill root borers that have infested some of the fruit trees in the vineyard. The last application of imidacloprid was June of 2012.
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