Hello
and Welcome,
This
is a 2018 Vintage Update from Amalie Robert Estate. A FLOG communication.
We
have spied the first blazing Pinot Noir berry on Friday, August 3rd
- Julien calendar day 215. And it was the cutest thing, ever! All nestled in
among the rest of the green berries, our harbinger of the vintage was all
aglow.
Why
yes, in fact, it was a Wadenswil clone Pinot Noir wine berry. We just love that
clone, especially when grafted onto the legendary 5C rootstock. 5C may be
slower to mature than those less endowed, shallow rooted rootstocks, but that
means longer hang time, more aroma and flavor development and less alcohol
potential. Who could ask for anything more?
And
now that we have seen that blazing berry, it is time to bait the yellowjacket
traps! And let us introduce the little Vespula blighters in their full regalia.
And to set the record straight, these are classified as wasps, not hornets. Hornets
are a whole other mess of trouble best handled with a flamethrower from a safe
distance in suitable protective clothing. That funny guy from Tesla makes one…
If
you happen to be stung by one of these Vespula, take a few microseconds to
notice the thorax coloring scheme. It could be the sting is not so bad from
Vespula atropilosa or Vespula pensylvanica. But if Herr Vespula germanica or
Vespula vulgaris tags you, well there is gonna be some extended whoopin’ and a
hollerin’ we can tell you that for sure, for sure good buddy!
Now
these little wasps pack a punch, but a little research can pay healthy dividends.
First off, these insects are ground dwellers. They nest under shrubs and
bushes. Their most favorite shrubbery happens to be the ubiquitous blackberry.
Not just any blackberry mind you, but the Himalayan or Armenian blackberry -
Rubus armeniacus.
The
native, and most preferred, culinary blackberry species in the Great Pacific
Northwest is the Rubus ursinus. Commonly known as the Pacific Blackberry.
Clearly the taxonomy folks were taking a little artistic license from the bears
of the Great Pacific Northwest when classifying this plant. So be it – never
let the truth get in the way of a good story. Vespula horribilis anyone?
The
reason our little Vespula prefers the Rubus from Armenia is that they grow
along the ground in a prostrate manner. They cover a tremendous amount of area
with large thorny leaves and shoots that deter predators and provide them safe
haven. The first, best predator of the Vespula is the common skunk. The risk,
apparently, is worth the reward and we give these monochromatic wasp hunters a
wide berth.
Right,
now we know where they live. The eradication of the Vespula is virtually
impossible and while a worthy goal, it is the equivalent of trying to boil the
ocean. We are just trying to make wine. So one day, there was some clever
fellow who devised a totally tubular yellowjacket trap. Bravo!
What
we see depicted here is successful communication. The trap has been baited with
a strong yellowjacket aphrodisiac. The yellowjackets are picking up on what’s
going down and they want in on the action. All is right with the world. But
wait, there is more. Enter the wild Oregon caught Chinook salmon.
You
see these traps come from the factory with a synthetic attractant. And while
most of the Vespula are good with that Herr Vespula germanica is having none of
it. And it just so happens we know his weakness, it is freshly ripened wild
Oregon caught Chinook salmon.
Our
local fish monger knows when the first Pinot Noir wine berries start to turn
color because that is when we show up at his door looking for fresh wild Oregon
caught Chinook salmon scraps to trap our little Vespula. Of course, we take a
fillet as well to have with Pinot Noir – for quality control purposes, of
course.
Alright,
let’s bring it home. We start out with about 20 of these totally tubular
Vespula condos and start packing them full of salmon scraps. This is best done
about an hour before daylight in a Vespula proof enclosure. Then we have
specially modified coat hangers that fit through the molded hole at the top of
the trap (those guys thought of everything.) Then, just as first light is being
cast onto the vineyard we hang the traps on our south facing steel end posts
very near the Rubus from Armenia.
It
takes a while for the first early adopters to arrive. They buzz around
investigating this new addition to their environment. Then around noon time,
the sun has warmed up that steel end post and the wild Oregon caught Chinook
salmon scraps inside the trap start to “ripen.”
Then
look out! Herr Vespula germanica has picked up the scent and he is coming in
hot! From this point forward, it is just a matter of hours before the trap is
full and we must reload.
While
it is quite heartwarming to see these traps fill up so quickly, this in fact is
one of the necessary harvest pre-functions. Once all the blackberries are gone,
there is only one fruit left to eat and that is the wine berry. The Vespula
will attack the wine berry which has done nothing wrong, just ripen in the sun.
They will eat all of the pulp inside and leave a hollowed-out skin. They like
the sweet, but can’t seem to handle the skin tannin.
The
problem arises when the harvest humans start to interact with the Vespula
environment while the Vespula is consuming said wine berry. The problem is
exacerbated when several Vespula, under the direction of Herr Vespula
germanica, are feasting on adjacent clusters. You can hear the distinctive
whoopin’ and a hollerin’ from quite a ways off.
So,
we have about 45 days of ideal weather to “harvest” as many of these Vespula as
we can so that they are not around during harvest operations. The other way to
go about this is to use a can of aerosol hair spray and a lighter - mini
flamethrower if you will. But as Ernie would remind you, experience is what you
get when you don’t get what you want. So we have moved on to the wild Oregon
caught Chinook salmon scraps.
We
are still predicting a late September to early October start to harvest, but in
the agrarian world, anything can happen between now and then - and most likely
will. Are we going to get some rain? Oh, we hope so!
Now
if you just can’t wait, you can check in on the spaghetti harvest here. While
they do not have to contend with the dreaded Vespula, they do have the
spaghetti weevil, and Vespas. Watch out!
Kindest
Regards,
Dena & Ernie
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