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62 WINES&VINES September 2018 GRAPEGROWING WINE EAST since it is not an upright-growing cultivar. He employs two sets of moving wires and has considered adding another set of wires because of the variability of shoot lengths and the vine's propensity to produce double buds. Positioning is usually a four- to five-week process, which averages from the second week in June to the second or third week in July. It entails lowering the bottom wire to the ground, repositioning those shoots, and then raising the wire to the proper level before repeating the process with the top wire. Although this method of shoot positioning is more labor intensive, Martini said, "I sure like the way they look while growing, with the fruit all hanging in an open area, as well." Leaf removal is done shortly after fruit set, usually the beginning of July, with a Collard Raptor leaf remover that uses the company's Pulsed Air System of compressed air out of two rotating nozzles to tear the leaves into tiny bits. That equipment was also sourced from Lakeview. A permanent sod of natural vegetation is mowed between the rows, but under drought conditions the vines can suffer. In 2012, many of the fruiting canes had to be removed to help the vines survive a serious drought. The vines did survive and produced a good harvest in 2013. However, Martini believes that the drought stress was a factor in the vine loss following the extreme winter of 2014. He ended up replacing about 1,500 vines from that damage. He said he gets nervous when tempera- tures reach -5° F, even though he believes Pinot Gris can withstand slightly colder tem- peratures. To help counter the winter tem- peratures and early frost considerations, Anthony Road installed six used wind ma- chines in the vineyards. Veraison is usually the second week of Au- gust, and the grapes ripen by late September. On average, Martini likes to see the grapes get to 20° Brix to 21° Brix, with a 0.6-0.75 TA and a pH of 3.5. Martini said Pinot Gris is the only grape he grows that can have different-colored clusters on the same vine when ripe. He noted that he always looks to harvest before weather trouble can set in, since he sells more than half the Pinot Gris to other wineries. Because a number of other local growers have ripped out this cultivar because of growing difficulties, he is able to get around $1,750 per ton for his grapes. The vines provide about 5 tons per acre, which, in turn, can produce 190-200 gal- lons of juice per ton. Along with Martini, wine- maker Peter Becraft and his crew make the final decision on harvest time, and once ready, the grapes are mechanically harvested very early in the morning into 1-ton bins with the Gregoire G-8 machine. Following harvest, Martini uses a German hill-up plow to cover the graft union with 8-10 inches of soil. Once the hilling is completed, Martini said with a chuckle, "then it's time for me to put my head in the sand for a bit." Pinot Gris for Damiani Wine Cellars Although Damiani Wine Cellars is primarily known for its red wines, the winery is also one of the largest producers of Pinot Gris in the Finger Lakes. Lou Damiani, one of the founders, has about 1 acre of Pinot Gris in his original vineyard, and has more — consisting of 2 newly productive acres — in Damiani's newest vineyard on the east side of Seneca Lake. To this point, the majority of the fruit has been purchased from vineyards along Seneca Lake. Although the winery has pur- chased some Pinot Gris from Anthony Road and Hazlitt's 1852 Vineyards, its main sup- plier has been grape grower Chris Verrill at Harvest Ridge Vineyards in Lodi, N.Y. Verrill said he started planting his all-vinif- era, 45-acre vineyard in 1999, and his 6 acres of Pinot Gris were planted in 2002. In recent years, most of his grapes have been purchased by Ravines Wine Cellars in Geneva, N.Y., and in 2017 Ravines purchased 145 tons out of a total crop of 165 tons. In December, Morton Hallgren, co-owner and winemaker for Ra- vines, will complete the purchase of the vine- yard, with Verrill staying on as manager. Ironically, to this point, Ravines did not buy the Pinot Gris grapes, so Verrill sold the fruit elsewhere, including to Damiani. I asked Verrill why he didn't choose to open his own winery, and he quickly responded, "We learned a long time ago that we grow really good grapes and we make really bad wine — you have to know your strengths and weak- nesses, and we quickly learned ours." The fact that he grows really good grapes might surprise some, given his lack of farming experience. Growing up in Maine, he did work for a small dairy farm in the summers but chose to become a pharmacist instead. He worked several years as a pharmacy district manager for Walmart, but quickly tired of the traveling and long hours inside. He decided he'd rather be outdoors, working for himself, so he found land on the east shore of Seneca Lake, and Harvest Ridge was born. Verrill did extensive research on the via- bility of numerous cultivars and hired Finger Lakes grape grower Tom Mitchell to do soil testing. Several acres of hedgerows were removed, and a basic herringbone tile drain- age system was laid in to improve drainage in some wet spots. The soil ranges from a Darien silt loam to Honeoye and Cazenovia Crop insurance for your vineyard! No one wants to have a loss, but they do happen. We work with growers in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington State. Call or email for an estimate. Coverage may cost less than you think. Off: (239) 789-4742 Fax: (239) 789-4743 Email: info@agriskmgmt.com www.agriskmgmt.com Daily wine industry news winesandvines.com