oregondabbler
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2014
- Messages
- 101
- Reaction score
- 31
Greetings from a new member!
Allow me to introduce myself
I have some brewing and winemaking experience but nothing as deep as the many helpful people here. I've already poked around a bit in this site and am impressed with how helpful members of this site can be. I've registered my vineyard (Big Barn Vineyard) with this site http://www.winemakingtalk.com/vineyards-wineries/big-barn-vineyard-110.html
About me: Graduated a long time ago with a degree in Biochemistry. Loved the major but did not want to work in the industry (I did not want to osterize rat brains for a living). So, went off to have a career in the electronics industry -- go figure. Now retired.
In 1996, I moved to Oregon, Benton County, about 2 hrs south of Portland and stumbled on a property that had an established (1/2 acre) vineyard. Actually, my mother in law found it and encouraged us to go see it. Thanks Mom! We've been here ever since.
About my experience making wine: The first four years in my vineyard were educational but not productive. I needed to learn how, when and what to spray. I needed to install drip irrigation and after all that, the birds came in and scooped up my grapes before I got them. Bird netting solved that problem on the following year and I was finally making wine from my vineyard. Several years of good harvests followed. I made good wine but I just didn't have the time to get my system right.
In 2005, demands at work, home and other interests caused me to put my winemaking efforts on the shelf and I kept the vineyard just barely going for the next 8 years.
But now I have the time and this season got the vineyard up and running again.
This weekend, with the help of a number of friends and family, we picked off about 400-600 pounds of Marshal Foch and I have the must going through alcoholic fermentation now. It looks like there are another 600 pounds of grapes remaining to be picked but I'm holding off to let them ripen a bit more.
So that's where I am right now.
Some of the things that I'm interested in and can bring to this forum are:
- I have good lab skills and am interested in helping people through problems with testing and instrumentation
- Developments in organic pest control. Specifically control of powdery mildew. I'm not an expert in this but this will be an area of focus for me and I'll share what I learn.
Some of the things that I will be seeking advice on are:
Phyloxera resistant grape varieties -- what do people like that can be grown own-rooted not grafted.
Building soil and amending it using organic methods.
Organic control of Himalaya blackberries
Sheesh, I talk too much. Sorry about that. But I am enthusisatic about this site!
Allow me to introduce myself
I have some brewing and winemaking experience but nothing as deep as the many helpful people here. I've already poked around a bit in this site and am impressed with how helpful members of this site can be. I've registered my vineyard (Big Barn Vineyard) with this site http://www.winemakingtalk.com/vineyards-wineries/big-barn-vineyard-110.html
About me: Graduated a long time ago with a degree in Biochemistry. Loved the major but did not want to work in the industry (I did not want to osterize rat brains for a living). So, went off to have a career in the electronics industry -- go figure. Now retired.
In 1996, I moved to Oregon, Benton County, about 2 hrs south of Portland and stumbled on a property that had an established (1/2 acre) vineyard. Actually, my mother in law found it and encouraged us to go see it. Thanks Mom! We've been here ever since.
About my experience making wine: The first four years in my vineyard were educational but not productive. I needed to learn how, when and what to spray. I needed to install drip irrigation and after all that, the birds came in and scooped up my grapes before I got them. Bird netting solved that problem on the following year and I was finally making wine from my vineyard. Several years of good harvests followed. I made good wine but I just didn't have the time to get my system right.
In 2005, demands at work, home and other interests caused me to put my winemaking efforts on the shelf and I kept the vineyard just barely going for the next 8 years.
But now I have the time and this season got the vineyard up and running again.
This weekend, with the help of a number of friends and family, we picked off about 400-600 pounds of Marshal Foch and I have the must going through alcoholic fermentation now. It looks like there are another 600 pounds of grapes remaining to be picked but I'm holding off to let them ripen a bit more.
So that's where I am right now.
Some of the things that I'm interested in and can bring to this forum are:
- I have good lab skills and am interested in helping people through problems with testing and instrumentation
- Developments in organic pest control. Specifically control of powdery mildew. I'm not an expert in this but this will be an area of focus for me and I'll share what I learn.
Some of the things that I will be seeking advice on are:
Phyloxera resistant grape varieties -- what do people like that can be grown own-rooted not grafted.
Building soil and amending it using organic methods.
Organic control of Himalaya blackberries
Sheesh, I talk too much. Sorry about that. But I am enthusisatic about this site!
