The Vineyard View

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Mildew in the Vineyard

Powdery Mildew is a common vineyard pest. Most of the time we never have a problem due to a spring application of fungicides. 

In the photo there is a faint white spot. These are the mildew spores that were spreading to new growth. The production team will scout the vineyard for this new spore growth to determine if another application of fungicide is necessary. Untreated, mildew can infected berries are not good for making wine. 

Controlling the mildew early in the season is very important. This strain of mildew will overwinter, which means some of the mildew spores will live through the cold winter months and become active when the weather warms up.

Google: "Mildew in Vineyards" 
Websites that have Useful Information:

http://www.practicalwinery.com/marapr03/marapr03p16.htm

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r302100311.html

https://www.globalgarden.co/knowledge/how-to-treat-powdery-mildew/

Winter in the Vineyard 

It’s that time again, time to go dormant. Time to shut down and preserve all of our energy for next year’s growing season. In order to help the plant achieve dormancy before the first frost, the vineyard management team implemented some common winter ready practices.

In August our last round of fertilizer was applied. This allowed plenty of time for the plant to use up those nutrients for spring foliage and berry growth. No more fertilizer applied was to the vines, as we do not want to provide any additional nutrients that might make the plant think it’s need new shoots or growth. There was also a limited amount of water applied; this is also a clue to the plant that it is time to start storing nutrients and energy for the winter ahead. Visually you have seen the vines turn from green to brown, what we call lignification. The lignification starts happening in late September and continues into October. This indicates that the management team is doing a good job shutting the plants down for the winter.

The colder season’s that the Columbia Basin gets truly make this a great place to grow crops. These harsh conditions make it very difficult for pests, diseases, and fungus to thrive or live through the winter. This allows the plant and vineyard manager to get a fresh start in the spring.  

Our First Harvest

 On October 25th, 2017 Eagle Butte Vineyards had its first harvest in block 9A. This block is comprised of three different Cabernet Sauvignon clones. This was strategic decision by the vineyard management team as each clone has a different flavor profile. Three mechanical harvesters and two gondolas were up and down the rows shaking the grapes right off the vine.  The gondolas dumped loads of grapes into bins. When all the bins were full the truck and bin trailer made its way to the winery to be processed. The grapes were received at Goose Ridge Winery where they were crushed and fermented. The final destination is all in the hands of our client K-Vintners and their talented winemaking team.  

      Spring has Sprung

Although there is still snow on the ground, the work must go on. The crews have been training the young vines and will soon circle back to finish the pruning. This may seem like a simple task,  not unlike hacking back a wild rose bush, but there is so much more that goes into the vines. Training and pruning set the crop up for the rest of the year. There are precise calculations that go into determining how many spurs and buds (see diagram below) we are going to leave for this years vintage. Each area of the vineyard is pruned differently based on the soil, water holding capacity, age of the vines, and microclimate. The vineyard manager and viticulturist make these calculations and decisions based on observations and historical harvest tonnages. 

   Vineyard Manager- Gerardo Rangel  

We would like to introduce the Eagle Butte Vineyard Manager, Gerardo Rangel. Gerardo has been with Eagle Butte since 2015, his hard work and innovation has helped make the vineyard such a success. We would like to applaud his dedication to continuing his education. Last month, Gerardo completed the three year Latino Agriculture Education Program (LEAP) for Viticulture. Winegrowers, in partnership with the Wenatchee Valley College and Yakima Valley College, offers the LEAP program for Viticulture. The goal of LEAP is to equip Latino employees in the grape and wine industry with the technical expertise and resources. We are proud of Gerardo’s dedication and hard work, and look forward to many more great vintages together. 

  In May the grapevines went through a process we call bloom. Flowers of most cultivated grapevine species are hermaphroditic (“perfect”) in that each flower develops the central female structure, the pistil, surrounded by the male structures, the stamens.As we move through June we see fruit set, the flowers are lost, while the young fruit begins to develop. Initially the fruit is smaller than the size of a pea, within a few short weeks with the proper care and nutrition they will develop into the size of pearls.