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I love Seyval Blanc, but I'm starting to wonder if top wire cordon is really the best management system for it. We have a lot of vines similar to the one pictured below. If you look on the right side, you can see we have dutifully tied a cordon to the top wire, but the shoots on that cordon...

I'm looking for the type of V-shaped crossarms used in this video: Anybody know where I can get them? I can't seem to find them online anywhere. Linde Vineyard Supply has a photo of something similar on their website, but I reached out to them and they don't stock them anymore. Thanks in...

So after a great growing season thus far, we are suddenly smitten with something that is producing heavy losses, especially with our Seyval Blanc. I'm assuming this is bird damage but I'm not sure. My wife thinks it is some sort of disease or rot. The vineyard is about a mile away from our...

So our little winery is doing well. Harvested a few hundred pounds of our own grapes last year and we're also still supplementing with juice from the Finger Lakes. We've got a few medals under our belt and customers have gone out of their way to complement our wines. I probably shouldn't say...

So this has happened twice now - the first time I thought it was a fluke, but now I'm seriously wondering what's going on: Red wine (first time was Marquette juice, second time was Chilean Merlot from grapes), primary fermentation goes well, numbers all look good, yeast nutrients added as...

So during Wednesday night's bomb cyclone here in the Northeast, this happened: Thankfully it was only 1 row and the vines bent without breaking. But it makes me wonder, what's the best way to prevent this from happening again in the future? Clearly those green metal stakes that I'm using...

Numerous young shoots mysteriously disappeared from my otherwise healthy vines in the past few days. At first I thought it might be deer nibbling, but we haven't seen any deer and also, some of the shoots are partially, but not completely chewed through and I can't imagine how or why a deer...

We finally have been granted all our permits to become a winery! Just waiting on the COLA and then we'll finally be able to sell. So now, since this is getting real, so to speak, I guess it's time for me to start thinking about a better way to manage our growing winery. Right now it's all...

Question about naming one's enterprise "XYZ Vineyards" vs. "XYZ Winery." So we're finally in the last stages of being able to sell to the public. LLC business has been created, we've got our permit from the TTB, state, FDA, etc. etc... the LAST step on the list is to get a COLA. So now that...

Long story, but I think I need to use VP41 malolactic bacteria, each packet of which seems to cost upwards of $35 and treats 36 gallons. I only need enough for 6 gallons, so I'm wondering if A) Anybody knows of a way to buy it in smaller quantities, or B) A way to store the unused portion for...

Both buckets of Marquette did a strange thing this year - As I was racking them after primary fermentation, I noticed they both threw off what look like tartrate crystals on the sides of the buckets. Quite a lot of it, actually. Even stranger, one yeast appeared to throw more crystals than the...

So I'm trying to craft a very small batch of sweet wine and have it ready by this Christmas. I've never done a dessert wine before so I'm wondering if those of you with more experience in the matter can help me guide it down the right path. A little more info: This past weekend we picked up 8...

My 50 Marquette vines are in their 2nd year and will hopefully yield a crop next year. They seem to be doing well on our sunny, south facing hill side. The only major problem has been Japanese Beetles, which I took care of with a bit of Sevin. Last year, while waiting for our vines to grow...

So I'm almost ready to submit our TTB application. I just got off the phone with the TTB, who, by the way, have always been very courteous and helpful each time I called. Anyway, the representative I spoke with told me that in addition to the other documents I will need to upload, I will also...

We're going on a trip in a few weeks and I'm looking for a book to bring along. Not a basic "how to" book. I'm looking for something more in-depth and interesting. Maybe something on the history or culture of winemaking? Or organic/biodynamic viticulture? Or wine chemistry and biology...

Ever have one of those hair-brained ideas that you just can't get out of your head until you run it to ground? Well, mine is co-fermenting cold hardy grapes with wild blueberries. For some reason I even want to try Concord grapes with blueberries, even though I'm aware of the usual caveats...

I'm sure we've all heard the rule of thumb a hundred times: Grapes don't like wet feet. OK, but what does that really mean? Our vineyard is in its 2nd year. Last year I planted Petite Pearl, Marquette, Seyval Blanc, Aromella, and Arandell. All grew great and all came through the winter...

Wondering how most of you have incorporated your wineries? As sole proprietorships or LLCs? I know an LLC is probably preferred, but they are expensive ($500/year here in MA) and I'm musing whether it's absolutely necessary for a really small mom & pop winery like we hope to be, producing only...

First time working with Aromella and I'm still in the learning phase of winemaking, so I have an acid question. I bought 6 gallons of Aromella juice, which smelled and tasted awesome, but came in with a TA of 1.42. My goal was to bring it to 0.9 by adding 78 grams of CaCO3 using the...

Quick story with two mysteries I'm hoping someone can explain: This past weekend we picked up 6 gallons of hot pressed Marquette juice. TA was a little high, so I figured out that I had to add about 60 grams of calcium carbonate. I planned on using the double-salt technique of de-acidifying...