New Insect Netting

Since 2010 we've been using a insect net to protect from wasps.  The conditions change year to year and sometime we don't need insect netting and other years we use just bird netting.  Usually the warm years, where the grapes are ripening early and the sugars are high while the wasps are still quite active are the conditions that bring the wasps to the grapes.  It becomes a big problem if you have the above conditions then you get a heavy rain, the vines soak up the rain and the grapes swell and crack.  After that the wasps can really smell the sugars and are all over the grapes in a day.  Some grapes are more prone to cracking than others after a big rain so this is a factor also.

In any event, this past year we lost virtually all the Lucy Kuhlman and the Colmar to wasps after a rain on September 6th, grapes cracked on the 7th and by the 8th there was nothing left.  We got the vines covered on the 8th and that saved the rest of the varieties however, what was interesting is that as we got the grapes covered and the wasps couldn't get to them, within minutes they started to get into other varieties that they had not even had an interest in. Once hey found that grapes had high sugar inside it didn't matter if they were cracked or not they started on them and biting through the skins.

Covering the grapes is critical and we've used the kootenay covers since 2010.  They are tough and do not let in any insects that would harm the grapes.  Kootenay covers were developed for tree fruit crops but we decided to try them for grapes and in terms of resilience to the elements and keeping the bugs out they are great.  The draw back is that it is white and reflects the September sun which is desperately needed for ripening.  The other draw back for grape us is the holes are quite small and while good at repelling insects it also means little light gets through and the grapes are partially shaded by the cover.

In 2012 with 940 degree days and 85 days from flowering to harvest we achieved 20 brix on the Leon Millot that were only covered with bird netting - not the insect netting.  This year with 1030 degree days and at least 95 day growing period from flowering to harvest we achieved 21-22 brix.  We were expecting 22-23.  While there is so many factors that determine the ripeness and sugar content at harvest, we have found in the years that we have used the kootenay covers the brix seems lower than what we would have expected and we believe it is that too much light is reflected and the shading is a factors also.

We've obtained a new netting for this coming year that is black and the openings while small are many and will let in lots of light.  Shade factor is about 4-5% in the new net where as with the kootenay covers it is about 15%.  10% more sun should make some difference.

2013 Vintage: Red, White, and Rose'

We had a good year for the grapes in BC and from them produced three wines this year.  We have a red Leon Millot varietal, a blended white, and a St. Croix rose'.

The wines are young and have been cold stabilised and cleared but they will have to cellar for some time to mature.  Out of the carboy they were all nice, however, the St. Croix rose' needs about 6 months of cellar time but can be drank early.  The Leon Millot needs about a year in the cellar, and our trade mark "Arrow Lakes White" blend needs about 1-2 years.

In a months we'll open the St. Croix rose' and a month later the Millot, then the white after to see how they are developing.

Leon Millot Crush and Pess 2013

The Leon Millot fro the vineyard in BC were nice this year and after crush the juice was 21 brix and 3.2 ph.  Nice parameters for making wine.  One thing that is great about this grape is the juice is very highly coloured and after 3 days fermentation on the skin I pressed the must and the wine colour is very dark already.  The new wine press from Musca wine supplies worked great.

We're going for a lighter fruity wine this year as part of the experiment of growing the grapes is also experimenting with styles of wine that the grapes can make.  The

Evangeline Grape

We've have the Evangeline growing for a few years now and this year we got to see how it performed.

This grape is a cross between Seigerrebe and St. Pepin.  It was created in Canada in Nova Scotia and it is as early as Seigerrebe, has the beautiful muscat flavouring but is cold tolerant to about -31c and has some disease resistance to both powdery mildew and downey mildew.

It is very  vigorous grower and put up huge canes this year on our vines.  The clusters are long and loose and the berries are the biggest of all the varieties we grow - about double the diameter of Marechal Foch.

This variety is the latest to break bud and to flower but among the earliest to ripen.  This year it flowered on July 3-4th and we picked them about 65 days later on September 8th at 18 brix and 2.9ph (see it pictured here on Sept 8th).  Had to take them before the wasps did.  We left a few bunches on the vines and the wasps didn't find them and on October 5th we recorded 21-22 brix and 3.3 ph.

This grape is fantastic, it is already growing (not commercially) in Nova Scotia and should be considered for marginal growing areas like Vancouver Island, south interior BC (West Kootenays) and (East Kootenays) especially where cold winters, short seasons, and late spring frosts are an issue.

Great Grape Harvest for 2013

We had a great year for growing this year and despite the 8 week drought in late September to mid-September the vines did great.  We had about 1030 C degree days growing. 

They have had 5 full growing seasons in the soil now and must have good roots, especially in the Ravat 34 and Leon Millot that have been around the longest.

The wasps were the biggest factor in Harvest and they took virtually all the Lucy Kuhlman and Colmar Precoce Noir.  These are among the earliest grapes we have.  However, the Evangeline (KW96-2) is really early and we picked it on September 8th at 18brix and 2.9ph as we did not have enough wasp netting to cover them.  They are among the the latest to bud out and the latest to flower and the earliest to harvest with giant juicy bunches of grapes.  We left a few Evangeline bunches in hopes that the wasps would miss those and then we could see the numbers at full ripeness.

Some of the numbers we got this year harvested Oct 5 as follows;
Variety                                          Brix             PH
Leon Millot                                    22               3.2
Ravat 34                                         18               3.0
Acadie Blanc                                  19               3.0
Petite Milo                                      22               3.1
Evangeline                                      21               3.3 
Castel                                              22               n/a
Foch                                                21               n/a
Triompe                                          21               n/a

Wasps Destroying the Grapes

The early grapes, high sugars and heat are the perfect conditions for wasps to invade the vineyard.  Usually we don't have this issue as the grapes are just coming into ripeness and high sugar as the cold weather is approaching.

This year is an exception and the wasps were destroying the grapes.  Fortune would have it that i still had the old nets that i started with from Kootenay Covers.  They have small aperture openings that do not let the wasps or larger insects in.

Instead of putting out the bird netting I put out these nets instead and hopefully it will keep the wasps away. Thus far they had nearly taken all the Lucy Kuhlman grapes.  I swatted a few of them and they are all full of grape juice, and they are easy to hit as they are so full of juice as to be barely able to fly.

Unfortunately in this case the vineyard has grown and I did not have enough of the Kootenay Covers netting to cover all the vines.  What was interesting is that once I covered the all the grapes I could, the wasps then went on to locate other grapes in the vineyard that were still exposed and began to eat those ones - even those that normally would not have attracted them as they are not yet quite as high in sugars as the Lucy Kuhlman.

Grapes Looking Good Sept 2013

With excellent heat the vines are really far ahead in terms of ripening the grapes this year. 
Here is where we are at for Brix as of Sept 8, 2013
Grape              Brix     PH
Castel              15
Leon Millot     17        2.8
Evangeline       18       2.8
Ravat 34          12
Foch                 15
Lucy Kuhlm     15
Triompe            16
Acadie               14
Colmar              16
Petit Milo           16

Here is some pictures;
Ravat 34

 

Leon Millot

Evangeline (this was a smaller cluster, most are a lot bigger than this one)

Grapes Starting to Turn Colour August 18th

Here is Leon Millot on August 18th showing the berries are just at the front end of starting to turn colour.  This photo is from my neighbors yard, who also have Millot growing.  Unless we were to get an early frost this is excellent as in a normal year we'd have another 40-50 days of the growing season left. Can only hope.

We've been really struggling for rain this year.  We''ve only had about 1.5 inches of water since the first week of July, however, its raining today and looks like we're in for at least an inch over the next few days.  Been smoking hot also, and will likely have a 20.5c or 21c average for August - again about as hot as we've ever had it. If we get a normal September/October were in line for 1000-1100 degree days growing.  The vines are showing a lot of water stress, so a few inches is in order forsure.  

Grapes Comming Along Well August 2/13

We had a great month for heat in July average about 20.5 degrees making it about the hottest July in 6 years of recording.  The grapes are really doing well and have filled out, some are moving to bunch closure but are being held back by the lack of moisture.

Here is Leon Millot

Here is Ravat 34

Vineyard Expansion

After five years of growing we have both a picture of the climate, soil, and what vines work and what do not. When we started out we wanted to plant a vineyard with Leon Millot, Castel and Acadie Blanc and we know now that the Castel does not like our sandy soil.  On the other hand the Leon Millot is doing quite well, remarkably so considering we've virtually applied no fertilizer or soil amendments to our 85% nutrient void sandy soil.  Interesting is that I've read several accounts that the Kuhlman varieitiees like the sandy soil, so for reds we've got lots to choose from including the Leon Millot, Foch, Lucy Kuhlman, Joffre, Triompe D'Alsace, and Colmar Precoce Noir.

Two and Three summers ago we opened up the area to the east and the west of the vineyard to see the lay of the land and if it was suitable for grape growing and discovered that we have approximately 4 acres of land suitable for grape growing.  We've also another 1-2 acres on other parts of the property, but for now this area remains forested.

This summer we are beginning to prepare the land we opened up for planting of approximately 0.5 acre of Leon Millot for next year 2014 and perhaps another 0.5 acre for 2015.  We are looking at 4-5 foot spacing and 7 foot between the rows - similar to what we've used in parts of the experimental vineyard (4x7).

We are also liking how the Foch and Acadie is working out and are looking ahead to potential plantings those varieties in the next few years however in all cases we're moving into the use of fertilizers and soil amendments to bring the vines into heavier production earlier.  Presently we are 5 years in with the Leon Millot and are obtaining approximately 200-250 grams of grapes per row foot - target is 1 lb per row foot.

We are beginning to add fertilizer this year in a relatively small amounts but already we've seen the vines take off more than other years. The challenge is now balancing the annual fertilizer amounts giving them just enough to get the enhanced growth and at the right times.  Last fall we added fertilizer to the ground after the vines went dormant, we added some at pruning time and again at bud break.  We'll not add any more until dormancy for this year.