I thought this article made for good reading. The U.S. wine and grape industry contributes $162 billion (USD) annually. Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/17/BUGSMNK5807.DTL

It’s hard to look out the window and believe that Christmas is past and it’s already 2007! In these parts, there’s barely any snow on the ground and much of the lake ice is too thin to be safe for even walking on. Recently, I’ve read that cherry trees are blossoming on the east coast and asparagus is starting to grow. Incredible!

Fortunately, it hasn’t been warm enough to get the ‘juices’ flowing in my vineyard. My main concern right now is a sudden cold snap. If the temps drop precipitously, the vines could sustain damage on account of not being able to gradually adjust. But there’s not much that can be done except wait and see. In the meantime, I plan to get out and enjoy a mild winter. Happy New Year!