Chateau Michaelena Vineyard

[ibglowin]

Signs of Spring in Northern NM. Marquette is (as usual) first out of the gates. Noiret and Corot Noir are still buttoned up. Ornamental Apple is in full bloom. Average last day of frost is May 7th. We have had late hard freeze (22F) on May 22nd a few years back. If you look close at the hummingbird feeder (left side) you can see a hummer that stopped by right when I was taken the snap of the vine.

 

[ibglowin]

Well like the song........



It's too late to turn back now.........

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I'm at the same stage as well. The closer we get to the middle of May, the better. I have new vines shipping tomorrow, so I'll be busy this week with them. We have had a ton of rain and I'm hoping to get a spray in soon. I've not been able spray for days and as humid as it is, I'll be growing fungus vs. grapes. Got to stay ahead of the DM here.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

PS. Your grapes look happy and healthy too.

 

[ibglowin]

One of the benefits of growing grapes in the desert Southwest. Literally zero disease pressure.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

In the Ohio Valley region, if it's not been treated for fungus, then it has fungus. That goes for about everything living.

 

[ibglowin]

Dodged a bullet this morning. Late cold front came though yesterday and by 7:00pm it was down to 40F. It was solid clouds as well so I was hoping the clouds would hold some heat in and save us. It did. We got down to 34F this morning around 5:00AM and that didn't stay long. Hopefully clear sailing from here until we reach the Monsoon/Hail season.

 

[ibglowin]

33F for an hour this morning......... Come on Mother Nature it's May the 22nd. Enough!

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Been to cool and wet here. I'm fighting phomopsis now. It's only effecting the Concord vines. I only have a few intermixed to promote pollination or the America variety I grow.

 

[ibglowin]

Wow. I'll say. Good luck!

Been to cool and wet here. I'm fighting phomopsis now.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Typically it's only DM that I have to worry about. But this year, if it's not raining, then the wind is blowing a good clip (like today). I'd say the weather is in some sort of erratic cycle.

 

[ibglowin]

June bloom! Things are moving along in the wine garden. We got down to 31 for a few hours about a month ago and a couple of the Noiret vines got burnt right at bud break of course. Funny thing was all the Marquette was just happy as could be and suffered no damage at all. We got a nice overnight rain on Monday and the vines are happy happy happy.








Recovering Noiret. More than likely no grapes from these two vines this year.

 

[Kraffty]

@ibglowin Our climates are kind of similar now (except for about 3000 feet elevation) and last week someone told me harvest out here is around late August. I didn't get the reasons this happens but Hail damage to the crops was mentioned. When you you usually pick??
Mike

 

[ibglowin]

Late August to early September. Since I have a couple varieties they always ripen at different times. I try and let the early variety hang a bit longer if possible (also lowers acid levels) and harvest all at the same time. Sometimes I pick and then put in cold storage. Just depends on circumstances with each harvest year.

That 3000ft EL difference also means I am left with cold hardy varieties as my only real viable option as we always get down to around 0F each Winter +/- 5F.

 

[ibglowin]

Well looks like my "experiment" for this year in the wine garden is working quite nicely. Instead of my usual Miracle Grow "bloom buster" that has to be mixed with water and then fed to individual vines I decided to to give the Jobe's Fruit Tree Fertilizer spikes a try. One spike per vine pounded into the ground at the base. They are 10-13-13 and will feed for 60 days. Have not seen the vines this loaded in a long time!

 

[mainshipfred]

Well looks like my "experiment" for this year in the wine garden is working quite nicely. Instead of my usual Miracle Grow "bloom buster" that has to be mixed with water and then fed to individual vines I decided to to give the Jobe's Fruit Tree Fertilizer spikes a try. One spike per vine pounded into the ground at the base. They are 10-13-13 and will feed for 60 days. Have not seen the vines this loaded in a long time!

View attachment 55337 View attachment 55338 View attachment 55339 View attachment 55340

That's a lot of clusters per vine Mike, are you going to prune some of them off?

 

[ibglowin]

Trick photography! LOL What your seeing is two vines that are only 5 foot apart and I let them grow into each other so your seeing what looks like a boatload of gapes on one vine but there are two and only two cluster per shoot (but a lot of shoots in some areas). I should probably have shoot thinned but not all that worried about too many grapes being produced. These are all mostly Marquette that is very dark in color naturally. Cold hardy grapes do not have an over abundance of tannin anyways so they all get bumped up in tannin at the get go. They are also growing in volcanic soil that looks like this...........

So the wines are coming out with quite a bit of "rocks funk" to them. Meaning earthy, meaty, gamey, olive tapenade aromas and flavors. They are different tasting that any other Marquette of that I am sure!

That's a lot of clusters per vine Mike, are you going to prune some of them off?

 

[mainshipfred]

Trick photography! LOL What your seeing is two vines that are only 5 foot apart and I let them grow into each other so your seeing what looks like a boatload of gapes on one vine but there are two and only two cluster per shoot (but a lot of shoots in some areas). I should probably have shoot thinned but not all that worried about too many grapes being produced. These are all mostly Marquette that is very dark in color naturally. Cold hardy grapes do not have an over abundance of tannin anyways so they all get bumped up in tannin at the get go. They are also growing in volcanic soil that looks like this...........

So the wines are coming out with quite a bit of "rocks funk" to them. Meaning earthy, meaty, gamey, olive tapenade aromas and flavors. They are different tasting that any other Marquette of that I am sure!

Well here's what I have to say about that. I know nothing about grape growing, learning about making wine from other peoples grapes is more than I can handle. My hat goes off to those of you that grow grapes and make wine. I only brought it up because I was recently talking to a vineyard manager who told me he only allows a certain number of clusters (or he reduces the amount of grapes on the cluster) per vine. I guess, as they say, a little knowledge is dangerous.

 

[ibglowin]

Everything I have learned on grape growing has pretty much been from this forum as well. I am not taking this too serious. If I get 10 gallons of finished wine out of the garden I consider that a successful harvest. Not the best soils for sure. One vine can be loaded. The vine 15ft away next to nothing. I am happy to play and learn each season. My biggest problem is not too many grapes, its getting them to the end of August and not ravaged by a huge hail storm. No such thing as a gentle summer rain in these parts. There is always some kind of drama just around the corner every time it rains. 50% chance of hail each time. If it starts will it stay pea size or grow to golfball.........

I try not to get attached to something I could lose at any moment each monsoon season but I admit it gets harder and harder the more they grow.

 

[ceeaton]

Mike,
I noticed you were using Miracle Gro & assuming the regular Jobes Fruit Tree spikes. I'd worry a bit in your part of the country since it's so arid and the salts left over from normal non-organic products could build up quite quickly. I see the Jobes Fruit Tree spikes come in an organic version, you might want to try those down the road if you notice salts accumulating on the surface of the soil around your vines.

This is just something I've recently switched to since I noticed what looks like salt accumulations in the spring on the surface of my garden (when I wasn't using a cover crop). I do use lot's of different organic methods but have used Miracle Gro to feed with later in the summer. Just food for thought, not judging here, just sharing what I've learned.