Vineyard Maintenance

After the vines are planted, the real work begins. They must be constantly cared for, maintained, trained, and generally pampered. When properly maintained, wine grapes will produce a small crop in their third summer, and nearly a full crop in their fourth summer. A full crop of premium grapes in our region ranges from 4-8 tons per acre, enough to produce over 600 gallons of wine! Vines are adolescents at 7 years, and they reach maturity at 10-15 years. At this point, they reach their maximum fruitfulness, with mature flavors and complexity. Quality continues to increase after this time, with crop quantity decreasing slightly. Winegrowing is a long-term commitment, and we intend to provide appropriate maintenance services throughout the life of the vines.

	Vineyard rows are maintained with neatly clipped turf between the rows, and weed-free earth beneath the rows. This combination provides erosion control, good aesthetic appeal, and proper vine nutrition. Vines are kept tightly trained to the trellis for proper sun exposure and airflow.
	In a newly planted vineyard, the vines are sheltered inside grow tubes that give the tender young shoots protection from the elements and from grazing animals. Attention to details such as this allows us to ahieve high yields and quality in our vineyards.
	In a mature vineyard, netting is installed on the grapes at veraison to keep the birds out. Our location on the Eastern flyway makes our grapes very vulnerable to passing songbirds looking for a treat. These vines are in their third leaf, and are bearing their first small crop.

Key Benefits