Today, Clay Gantz explains the importance of shoot positioning. With our vineyard's baby vines growing like crazy, he tells us why it is important to keep those sun-reaching tendrils out of the rows.
The New Winery at Gantz Family Vineyards
Russian River Valley Winegrowers and All They Do
the Russian River Valley has transformed from a relatively unknown area only beginning to garner respect for some surprising Pinot Noirs to a world-recognized region making world-renowned wines. No single entity has been a bigger proponent of that perception shift than the Russian River Valley Winegrowers.
Taking Care of the Weeds
The task of controlling the weeds on the non-vineyard property has come to me. I attack about 1.5 acres with a weed eater, whacking away weeds along the fence lines, trees (not too close!), around the house and barns. Then there’s hands-and-knees work, pulling weeds around the roses, blueberries and newly planted fruit trees.
Bud Break: Step Three of Our First Growing Season
The first time I saw one bud open, on April 4, I was ecstatic. "We've got bud break!" I shouted. But Clay, ever the pragmatist, felt we couldn't "call" it until 50 percent of the vines showed leaves. From that first moment to the 50 percent mark was about an hour, it seemed. Suddenly the entire vineyard was a sea of green.
The Importance of Spading on a Vineyard
Appreciating the Under-Appreciated Farm Laborer
I think we Californians have a fundamental misconception about our immigrant agricultural workforce. We tend to think that farmworkers are low-skilled laborers doing a job that anyone could do, and, yes, there is plenty of hard, backbreaking work involved in farming. However, my experience is that a lot of skill and experience is necessary to do many of the jobs well, and when you insist on perfection, every job has to be done well. Not anyone can do it.