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I would endorse the good advice by Obbnw on doing a close assessment of multiple factors that make up your microclimate situation. I’m often startled to come upon the differences on our property that 20 yards and a slight shift in slope can make. Here in northern Maryland, just south of...

That is very helpful. Thanks. This should do the trick for an easier post-cold stabilization transit (via a big-tire hand truck and some ratchet straps) from an outbuilding to the house. Just have to make sure I don't forget to replace the airlock with a solid bung like I did on my first attempt...

With apologies for steering a bit off topic -- I wonder if you might have a few do's-and-don'ts (or a particular favored design element) to share based on your experience, as I am planning to build crates (yet to be planned out) for my 5 gallon carboys this winter.

I’ve enjoyed reading these posts. Here’s mine, with apologies for length. My job before retirement had involved a lot of international travel, especially to Europe, so I certainly was an enthusiastic consumer of wine but not an especially discriminating one. After retirement we fled DC for a...

I find this discussion absolutely fascinating. Great stuff for pushing outward how I think about my own wine-making processes.

By any chance was there a nearby use of a weed herbicide product containing dicamba/2,4-D? Speaking from experience, to me the pointed leaves and cupping may suggest damage from some drift.

For what it's worth below capture is on one of the online providers. But I found no mention of discontinuation on Drexel website.

While looking to top up my Captan 50WP supply today I have found it almost impossible to find -- everywhere I looked were indications that it was out of stock. I thought perhaps it was one of those supply chain situations, but then I found one online retailer had posted that the manufacturer has...

I also suggest patience. Last year I had no choice but to attempt a transplant of three 2-year-old vines in ridiculous hot weather. I figured there was no chance it would take, and sure enough over the next week they put on a dramatic death scene. I left them alone and made a mental note to dig...

My apologies if that's the way you took my observations of the last couple of years of the climate in my particular location. I'll take that as needing to be more careful.

Concur. North of you, here in western Maryland (near PA border) we're around 8 days behind from last year. These past 4 or so years around here there seems to be a much greater inland reach of the ocean into our weather patterns, which has tended to keep our March-April temps down.

Such a sad situation. And I agree -- also IMHO -- a flawed system. As to just how flawed that overall system may be -- one may want to check out the federal subsidies that go to the largest cotton producers, often accounting for a ridiculous percentage of the overall annual value of the Texas...

Welcome. I found the attached, available on the website of a Virginia-based consultant, to be helpful when my now 6 year old vines were young. They've grown fast, but nowhere near as quickly as my kids did. Enjoy your days.

First harvest (2020), first bottling (2021).

Sinoe09: Thanks for that info and suggestion. We're in Central Maryland, about 15 miles below the Mason-Dixon line. On my list for this winter is to get a little smarter on the relationship of minerals and our 'terrior' to my own wine-growing, however humble. I've been setting aside various...

Thanks for the explanation. This is very interesting. I do use milk cartons, but I've never been happy with the post-bottle clean dust situation. I am intrigued by the coffee-filter/rubber band idea. As for mice, I made a large purchase of bottles this year (which won't be used until 2022), and...

Interesting. Could you elaborate a bit on what you mean by 'foil sheets from a restaurant supply'?

The photos below are from the base of the hillside where my grapevines are planted. In certain places I went through a lot of this stuff when digging the holes for the vines. As I hope you can see, it is a layered mineral, and was actually 'relatively' soft and easy to break up when digging the...

Got mine last year, with great personal service from Steve. The all-in-one made racking a breeze, and eliminated my worries about whether an angry lower back and wine-making could co-exist. Used it a month ago, first time for bottling, and it made for a smooth and easy operation.

Andy: As I have learned over the years about things discussed on this forum, there are usually a number of ways to go on any aspect of wine-growing. There is much value in various methods being helpfully described by the good folks on this forum, as it presents options to consider for your own...