Vino In My Dino

Fall into Winter: Dormant Vines

December 2, 2015 12:02

Dormant vineyards are the subject as we finish fall in a few weeks and move into winter. The vines began to move toward their dormant state after a few cold snaps-which we had plenty of in November. The colorful leaves have turned brown and are beginning to fall off of the canes. The vine is pulling inside of itself for some well-deserved rest.

Sometimes people have commented that they look dead but there is still a lot of life going on inside those weathered trunks. They are actually carbo-loading as they absorb the nutrients they need for next year’s harvest. Pruning is in our vineyard’s future over the next few weeks. With 105 acres of vineyard, the vineyard crew has their work cut out for them. As you see from the second photo, after this Mother Clone vine has been pruned, that the 2016 crop has been set in the form of two buds per arm-all positioned by the crew to be in the best place for problem free growth and ripening. A toast to the vines as they go dormant with some Zinfandel in my Dino.

This photo reminds me of a song...all the leaves are brown, and the skies are grey.

Prepruned MC Zin Vine