Archive forWinemaking

Wine

September 14, 2006 @ 2:53 pm · Filed under Wine, Winemaking

There are as many facets to wine as there are to growing grapes. Our grape-growing endeavor actually began with wine and a number of tastings we took part in out in the Sonoma Valley of California. This section of our site is dedicated to a number of these facets. The first section we have begun to fill out is the winemaking section. Look for more information there in the future.

Also in the future we look to build out the wine-related information on our website with a number of things including:

- Winemaking information
- Tasting Wine
- Hosting a Wine Tasting Party
- Our favorite recipes

Comments

Newsletter Volume I, Issue 1 (May 2003)

September 9, 2006 @ 4:01 pm · Filed under Grape Growing, Winemaking

Welcome and thanks for reading the inaugural issue of the Blue Door Vineyard newsletter!
May 1, 2003

Newsletter Contents
While there may be many reasons for writing and distributing a newsletter, our main intent is to use it as a way to share information about our experiences growing grapes in the cool climate of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have planted a small vineyard in our backyard in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The vineyard consists of 36 plants with the following varieties being represented:

  • Frontenac
  • Sabrevois
  • Prairie Star
  • St. Pepin
  • Bluebell
  • King of the North
  • Valiant

    •  

    So besides relating what’s going on here at the vineyard, we also plan to include our experiences covering a variety of topics including:

  • Vineyard Design and Layout
  • Varieties
  • Training
  • Pruning
  • Fertilizing
  • Pest Management
  • Trellis Setup
  • Harvesting
  • Wine Making

    • We will also include information on additional topics as those items come up. We are a couple years away from making wine, but look for that to become more of a topic over time.

    Latest News
    It’s May 1st and we are right in the middle of bud break. The Valiants have pushed first and are nearing the end of the ‘cotton-tip’ stage. They will be leafed out in the next few days. The Frontenacs and Prairie Stars have cracked their bud scales. Otherwise, the rest of the vines are not doing much yet. We have been spending time amongst the vines removing weeds and prepping planting spaces for 2 replacement Bluebells, 3 more St. Pepins (cuttings) and 6 Sabrevois vines.

    On Mother’s Day weekend we will be picking up the Sabrevois and Bluebell vines from Great River Vineyard in Lake City, Minnesota. These folks specialize in cold-hardy grapes and have been extremely helpful as we have worked to establish our vines. In addition to selling bareroot and nursery-grown vines, they also offer grape-growing classes and sell a wide array of grape-related products.

    We are in the process of evaluating some organic fertilizers and pest controls. We had a significant amount of deer traffic last summer and are looking to deter the deer without building a fence in our yard. Check back to find out about our progress.

    Thanks again for taking the time to read this inaugural issues of our newsletter. If you would like to receive future newsletters via e-mail, simply sign up using the box on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Don - Vineyard Manager
    Blue Door Vineyard
    http://www.bluedoorvineyard.com/

    Comments (1)

    Newsletter Volume I, Issue 2 (June 2003)

    September 9, 2006 @ 4:00 pm · Filed under Grape Growing, Winemaking

    Newsletter Contents
    In this issue of the newsletter we discuss the following topics:

  • Soil Prep
  • Winter 2002-2003 Results
  • Vineyard Protection
  • Newsworthy Notes

    • Tell your friends about our newsletter!

    Greetings
    Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter! We don’t pretend to be experts at growing grapes in cold climates, but rather we hope you find the newsletter an informative and entertaining source of information. If you do, feel free to forward the e-mail to others that may be interested. If you have suggestions for future topics or general comments/suggestions, feel free to send us an e-mail: don@grapelog.com.     Soil Prep
    When we first decided to plant grapevines, we quickly found out we had a lot to learn. One of the first considerations was to determine if our soil would support the vines. Without being too scientific, we proceeded to dig a hole about 2 feet deep in the area of the planned vineyard. What we found was that most of what we dug up (past the first couple inches) was clay. Based on some minimal research we knew that a soil high in clay content might be too wet and not contain enough organic matter for vines to grow well. So we decided that we needed to amend the soil.

  •  

    When we first decided to plant grapevines, we quickly found out we had a lot to learn. One of the first considerations was to determine if our soil would support the vines. Without being too scientific, we proceeded to dig a hole about 2 feet deep in the area of the planned vineyard. What we found was that most of what we dug up (past the first couple inches) was clay. Based on some minimal research we knew that a soil high in clay content might be too wet and not contain enough organic matter for vines to grow well. So we decided that we needed to amend the soil.Initially, we planned to use an old Ford tractor to till the soil and hopefully break up some of the clay. One day early last spring we watched our neighbor plant some trees on his property using a Toro implement called a Dingo. It is essentially a walk-behind loader that accepts any number of attachments - including auger bits. It occurred to us that this would also work to prepare planting holes for the vines. So we rented the Dingo with an 18″ auger bit and dug 54 3′ deep holes in a little over an hour! It was amazing. Then we backfilled the holes mixing compost with the original clay as we went. Then we planted the vines in these holes and watched them take off. So far, the experiment seems to have worked. The soil drains better, the cover crop is filling in nicely - where grass did not really grow before and we have earthworms by the bucket load (did not see too many when the vineyard was first planted)!

    Winter 2002-2003 Results
    We had an odd winter for this part of the world. The main thing that happened (or didn’t) was that we had very little snow - especially during the early and middle parts of the winter. And that was when we got the coldest weather of the season. We recorded a season-low of -24.6F in the vineyard. This, coupled with some vines that entered dormancy in a less than optimal state, created conditions ripe for winter injury. What follows is a summary of how the varieties in our vineyard ‘weathered’ the winter of 2002-2003:

    Variety Survival Notes
    Valiant These were the only bareroot vines we planted last year. They grew extremely well last season and survived the winter with nary a scratch. They are all leafed out now and doing awesome.
    Prairie Star These were nursery-started vines and did not get going until the first week of July. While pruning them in March, they seemed ok. But it quickly became apparent that they may have suffered some fairly serious injuries. Two contributing factors (our theory at least) - (1) immaturity entering dormancy and (2) no insulating snow cover until after worst of winter cold had passed (-24.6 F). At this point, one plant has buds at it’s base, another has a small shoot that came out of the ground near the trunk, and two others ‘bled’ sap during investigative pruning. So hopefully, they will push buds from their bases soon.
    Frontenac These were also nursery-started vines and did not get going until the first week of July. While they seemed ok during pruning, they do appear to have suffered some damage. Shoots are coming up from the bases up to about 18″ and no higher on the trunks.
    St. Pepin These were planted directly in the vineyard as cuttings and did reasonably well. They are also the least hardy of any of the vines we have. It appears that all three vines may have winter-killed. We are in the process of callusing new cuttings to fill in the rest of that row in the vineyard. We will wait and see if these plants push shoot from their bases or not.
    Bluebell These were planted directly in the vineyard as cuttings and did ok. Only one of them actually took last season and that one appears to have survived. It’s pushing leaves now. We replaced the other two with bareroot vines. Right now, all three Bluebells are leafed out.
    King of the North These were planted directly in the vineyard as cuttings and did pretty good. One of the cuttings did not take. But neither of the two that did have budded out at this point. Again, these plants were rather immature entering dormancy. We replaced the one that did not take with a bareroot vine. Currently two of the three are leafed out.

    Vineyard Protection
    This spring we decided to plant a row of lilac bushes on the western edge of the vineyard. We found a good deal on Common Lilacs (sample picture) and bought six of them. These were planted on May 13th and seem to have taken to their new surroundings well. Once they grow a bit bigger, they will form a natural barrier against wind and 2,4-D (among other herbicides). We’d rather sacrifice the lilacs and save the grapevines.

    Also, we are working to develop a deer control regimen without resorting to installing a fence. We plan to deter deer by way of odor, taste and visual methods - fencing the vineyard is not an option. So far this spring, the deer have not found us. But they are in the neighborhood as we have seen a fair amount of sign from them wandering through. We did plant a vegetable garden - this may end up being another way to keep the deer from the vines. Hopefully we won’t have to sacrifice all of our veggies to save the vineyard!

    Newsworthy Notes
    We will soon be planting some additional St. Pepin cuttings - they are callusing now. Look for updates on the website or in upcoming newsletters.

    The last item of interest - and one that may help us with our local deer population - is that we have had cougar sightings in our neighborhood. Authorities are not sure if this is part of a wild breeding population or someone’s pet that was set loose. Go figure!

    Hey - don’t forget to tell your friends about our newsletter!

    • When we first decided to plant grapevines, we quickly found out we had a lot to learn. One of the first considerations was to determine if our soil would support the vines. Without being too scientific, we proceeded to dig a hole about 2 feet deep in the area of the planned vineyard. What we found was that most of what we dug up (past the first couple inches) was clay. Based on some minimal research we knew that a soil high in clay content might be too wet and not contain enough organic matter for vines to grow well. So we decided that we needed to amend the soil.Initially, we planned to use an old Ford tractor to till the soil and hopefully break up some of the clay. One day early last spring we watched our neighbor plant some trees on his property using a Toro implement called a . It is essentially a walk-behind loader that accepts any number of - including . It occurred to us that this would also work to prepare planting holes for the vines. So we rented the Dingo with an 18″ auger bit and dug 54 3′ deep holes in a little over an hour! It was amazing. Then we backfilled the holes mixing compost with the original clay as we went. Then we planted the vines in these holes and watched them take off. So far, the experiment seems to have worked. The soil drains better, the cover crop is filling in nicely - where grass did not really grow before and we have earthworms by the bucket load (did not see too many when the vineyard was first planted)!

    Comments (1)

    Newsletter Volume I, Issue 5 (November 2003)

    September 9, 2006 @ 3:58 pm · Filed under Grape Growing, Winemaking

    Newsletter Contents
    In this issue of the newsletter we discuss the following topics:

  • Cool-climate growers forum
  • Winter preparation
  • Trellis update
  • Plant progress update
  • Site links!Tell your friends about our newsletter!Greetings
    Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter! We don’t pretend to be experts at growing grapes in cold climates, but rather we hope you find the newsletter an informative and entertaining source of information. If you do, feel free to forward the e-mail to others that may be interested.

    • Well it’s officially fall in the vineyard. Due to an early hard frost (17F on October 3rd), the leaves on most trees and grapevines have been gone for awhile. We have completed most of our fall vineyard-related chores and are already looking ahead to next spring. First we have to make sure our vines make it through the winter!

    Winter Preparation
    We have recently completed hilling up dirt around some of the more spindly plants in the vineyard. Most of these vines were planted last season (2002) and did not hold up too well last winter due to a number of factors including:

    • a number of nursery-started vines did not take root until early July 2002
    • there was little or no snow during the coldest portion of last winter (we recorded a low of -24.6F)

    Consequently many of these vines had to push shoots from below ground. So their growth this season was slowed somewhat until they got above ground. Our hope in protecting them by hilling up dirt is to keep the above-ground part of the plants alive so that they can achieve better growth next season and not need special protection next winter (2004-2005).

    Trellis Update
    We have had all of our trellis posts in the ground since last fall. Due to some of the setbacks our vines experienced last winter, the plants did not need to be on a trellis. They simply would not have reached it. So our plan now is to run wire next spring. The Valiants will need the support the most. Next season they will be at the point where they will need to be trained into a permanent position. And the way the Frontenacs came back, they likely will need the support as well.

    After a little research and discussion with several other growers, we have settled on 12.5 gauge high-tensile wire for our trellis. We thought we might get by with a lighter gauge (our rows are only 30 feet in length), but several growers recommended against it as we would end up replacing it sooner.

    Plant Progress
    Here are the latest growth notes:

    Variety Growth Update
    Valiant Next season is when we expect the Valiants to really shine. They will be mature enough to bear their first small crop of fruit. We will likely need to take some preventative steps to guard against mildew.
    Prairie Star We would be extremely happy if the four remaining Prairie Stars made it through the winter. If we can get them to do that, then things will look better in terms of their long-term survival.
    Frontenac Based on their ability to come back from the adverse conditions of last winter, we expect big growth from the Frontenacs next year. Their trunks are much thicker and stronger than they were entering last winter.
    St. Pepin We are going to take a “wait and see” approach with the St. Pepin vine that survived last winter. It’s small as it didn’t push shoots up from it’s roots until July. If it survives this winter, we’ll have to decide if we want to propogate some additional plants from cuttings.
    Sabrevois We need to get the four Sabrevois plants through this winter and see how they will do with a full season’s growth under their belts. Hopefully with better watering and fertilization practices they will take off and enjoy rapid growth.
    Bluebell We plan to dig up the Bluebell and replant one of the vines next spring in a half-row with a St. Pepin plant and a King of the North plant. We may try to use the other two vines by integrating them into our landscape plan.
    King of the North We plan to dig up two of the King of the North plants and create a mini-nursery out of this three plant half-row. As noted above, it will contain one St. Pepin, one Bluebell and this one King of the North.

    Site links!
    In the past month we have had a few requests to link to our site. We are always glad to exchange links with other grape-growing related sites. If you know of a site that would like to link to us or that we should be linking to, let us know. We would be glad to make a contact and continue building a bigger web of sites that could be useful to cool-climate grape growers. Here are some of the sites that have recently added links to Blue Door Vineyard:

    Well, that’s it for this issue of the Blue Door Vineyard newsletter. Look for our next newsletter to arrive in your inbox sometime next month. In the meantime, thanks for reading and take care! Hey - don’t forget to tell your friends about our newsletter!

    • Comments (1)

    Newsletter Volume I, Issue 6 (December 2003)

    September 9, 2006 @ 3:57 pm · Filed under Grape Growing, Winemaking

    Newsletter Contents
    In this issue of the newsletter we discuss the following topics:   

  • Elmer Swenson
  • New Vines in 2004
  • Question of the Month
  • Vineyard Status
  • Winemaking

    • Tell your friends about our newsletter!

  • Greetings
    It’s beginning to look a lot like WINTER in the vineyard. This week we received 6+” of snow which should help tremendously in insulating our more tender vines from the cold days ahead. Check out the website in coming weeks for some new winter pictures.

     

    We have undertaken a new venture - winemaking! Although our first batch is just a kit wine, we have been very excited to try it. Read more about it below.

    		•
    Elmer Swenson
    Like many of you out there, we owe much of our ability to grow grapes in the north to Elmer Swenson. He has made it his personal quest to breed the ‘perfect’ grape for cold climate areas. The work he has done during his lifetime (Elmer turns 90 this month) has been truly amazing. If you have ever been out to Elmer’s place and caught a glimpse of the thousands of vines growing there you begin to get an idea of what he has been up to…Swenson Red, Edelweiss, Prairie Star, Sabrevois…the list goes on and on.   

    As a small way of highlighting Elmer’s work, we have created a page dedicated to him on our site.

    		   Find out more about Elmer Swenson - click on the image

     
    New Vines in 2004
    In the spring of 2004, we are excited to announce that we will be planting some Marechal Foch vines. Foch is a French hybrid (also known as Kuhlmann 188-2) that has been “noted for producing somewhat light, yet deeply colored and strongly varietal, wines described as having a “Burgundian” character”. Read more about Foch.    		   Question of the Month
    This month we have added a new feature to our newsletter…Question of the Month. This month’s question:   

    What is a humane way to rid my vineyard of voles?
    Vineyard Status
    The vineyard is in great shape right now. The vines that needed it were winter-protected by mounding up dirt around their bases. The Valiants are the only ones we left unprotected as they were able to withstand last winter with no winterkill - and we did not even have our normal amounts of insulating snow. So they stood out there bare all winter with temperatures south of -20F and did just fine!  

    The snow is about 8″ deep around the vines, which we are very glad to see. Now hopefully we won’t have problems with our rodent friends knawing on the trunks. We will likely see our first below 0 temperature readings of the season this week. A good first test of the protective measures we undertook this fall!

    Find out more about our vineyard and what’s happening.

    Winemaking
    Last month we embarked on a new, but highly anticipated adventure. We started our first batch of wine! Although it is a kit and not fresh grapes that we are working with, we are excited nonetheless. It is a Chianti kit from Brew King’s Vintner’s Reserve line. The instructions have been very clear and easy to follow.

    So far, the process has proceeded as expected without a hitch. The primary fermentation lasted about 8 days. We racked it into the secondary and let it sit for 10 more days. Then checked Specific Gravity (SG) on two consecutive days and it was down to .992. According to the directions we then added clarifying agents, stirred it well and have let it sit since. We should be bottling it any day now - amazingly fast, but we are trying to follow the directions as closely as we can with this first batch. Preliminary tastings have been good. It’s not going to knock anyone’s socks off, but not too bad for a kit.

    For more information and to see some pictures we took during and after the primary fermentation, check out the NEW Winemaking section of our website.

    Thanks!
    Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter! We don’t pretend to be experts at growing grapes in cold climates, but rather we hope you find the newsletter an informative and entertaining source of information. If you do, feel free to forward the e-mail to others that may be interested.Look for our next newsletter to arrive in your inbox sometime next month. In the meantime, thanks for reading and take care! Don’t forget to tell your friends about our !

    Comments (1)

    Next entries » · « Previous entries