Hello and Welcome,
This is the climate update for the month of June 2012.
We
were happy to report bloom occurred earlier this month, and now we are paying
for it with the “June Gloom.” That’s right, we have been experiencing
showers, mostly overcast skies and warm, humid conditions. It’s like taking a
shower in the morning and never leaving the bathroom, or walking to work in
Seattle. Oh sure there have been sun breaks, but those were in ARIZONA! It kinda
puts the “F” in Farming.
With the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) announcing
a few big rulings this month, we think a lot of folks got a first hand feel for
what it is like to be a farmer. Farmers are always watching the weather. We try
and “predict” where Mother Nature is leading us, especially around harvest time.
Such was the case this month with some folks “predicting” the rulings from the
high court based on a few days of questions and answers.
The result, of course, was predictable. Few, if anyone,
predicted the final outcome, but it didn’t stop the pontification leading up to
the big news. In growing wine, not only do we have to make it through harvest to
determine how well our wines will represent our soils and the climate, we also
need to get past wine critics. And that is before the wine is even bottled! The
real evaluation of the vintage takes place a few years down the road when a
bottle of wine is enjoyed with a meal.
From the “Mother Nature v the law” file, we have this telling
story. Patent number 5,968,597 was granted on October 19, 1999 and gave one
group sole rights to Broccoli Sprout production. The sale of
seed intended to produce Broccoli Sprouts and all Broccoli Sprouts had to be
produced by or licensed by the patent holders. (Note: It’s not that “farming
difficult”- you get them wet and Mother Nature does the rest.)
The wisdom of that patent finally met with the harsh light of
day. Right around Pinot Noir harvest time, October 11, 2001, the patent was
ruled invalid. It took a while, but Mother Nature wins again! Much like the 2007
vintage, those wines are just “farming magic” in a bottle.
And speaking of farming, we have been diligent in our field
work. Our first set of catch wires has been raised and clipped into place. Well
done! We came back around for a second pass, but noticed many of our shoots have
not quite made it up to the second set of wires. Just when we thought we were
getting ahead - hurry up and wait. At least Ernie gets a chance to change the
oil in all 3 of his “farming tractors” while he waits.
What is not waiting is our cover crop. Since Ernie drilled that in
last month it has taken off like a rocket. So far we have been able to harvest a
few pea tendrils and those are a great addition to a Duck Confit salad. The
goal, however, is to harvest healthy and mature flavored grapes to make wine. It
looks like it may be a while before we are done “farming around” with this
vintage.
Our biggest objective this time of year is to transition from
bloom to fruit set without any Powdery Mildew or Botrytis infections. The warm,
humid weather is creating great conditions for both of these pathogens to grow
and get a foothold on this year’s vintage.
Early in the growing season we combat these two undesirables by
applying sulfur to the vines. As the sulfur volatizes, the effect is similar to
entering a small room where a million bottle rockets have just been lit off. The
sulfur dioxide from the burning fireworks really irritates your soft tissues
such as eyes and lungs. If you are familiar with the campfire scene in the movie
Blazing Saddles, then you get the drift.
The sulfur we apply to our vines has a very similar effect to
the cell walls of Powdery Mildew and Botrytis. They do not die, they just lie in
wait until the conditions improve where they can grow again. It is our job to
keep them in stasis while the fruit matures.
However, we cannot apply anything to the vines while it is
raining. So, we just sit out here and grab another beer. And not just any beer
mind you, we are looking to enjoy a tall, cool Phuket beer.
By the way, the bird featured on the logo is a Hornbill and a quite nice one at that.
And now the paragraphs you have all been waiting for – the
numbers! It’s Ernie’s chance to geek out in a very normal and mature kind of
way. Sometimes he is “farming serious” and other times he is just “farming
kidding.” And it gives him something to do when it’s raining.
The month of June accumulated 244.2 degree days, had a high of
86.6 and a low of 37.2 with 2.92 inches of rain. This brings the 2012 growing
season up to 480.3 degree days since April 1. And yes, we did receive
exactly 2.92 inches of rain last month. We would say this is odd, but it
is divisible by 2. Was it sampling error? Ah yes, human terroir.
However, we can compare this year to the character building
vintage of 2011. We logged about 270 degree days in June (up from 249 degree
days in 2010) providing a total of 308 degree days through June of 2011. This is
a “big farming deal” early in the season to record about 55% more degree days
then the previous year.
So the next time someone asks you if we are ahead or behind this
year, you can reply with the utmost “farming confidence.” “We are about 55.8%
ahead of last year.” Then wait for the deer caught in the headlights look.
As
we turn to the page for July, we are predicting some really beautiful “farming
weather.” We can use it too, as harvest is only about 103 days away!
Kindest Regards,
Dena &
Ernie
