Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1019591
September 2018 WINES&VINES 63 WINE EAST GRAPEGROWING - B E C O PA D - Y E A S T & E N Z Y M E S - C R U S H PA D E Q U I P M E N T - S T E R I L E F I LT R AT I O N - W I N E R Y H O S E - O A K A LT E R N AT I V E S soils, with average depths of 2 to 4 feet over a shale stone bed. The Pinot Gris vineyard is composed of 3 acres each of two clones. One is an unnamed clone attributed to Dr. Konstantin Frank, and the other is a University of California, Davis Foundation Plant Services clone considered to be derived from clone 53, in Colmar, France. Verrill's vineyards are planted in a north-south direction to allow for greater sunlight absorp- tion from the east-west path of the sun. The Pinot Gris is planted with 11.5 feet between rows and 4.5 feet between plants. The goal is "to maximize photosynthesis," and Verrill said he believes he can increase the process by up to 40% by his version of double-lyre trellising. His system splits the canopy, allowing for maxi- mum sunlight exposure and much improved drying of moisture from the vines, which helps limit disease pressure. The system is basically two VSP canopies with left and right wires set at an angle, to open the tops at about 3 feet above the ground. The vines average about 12 buds per cane, resulting in 36-48 buds per vine. The opened canopy thus limits leaf overlap and shading of the fruit. The idea for this system came from an article Verrill found from Aus- tralia, and with the Pinot Gris he began sourcing pre-notched steel posts from Quiedan Co., a major producer of steel trel- lises headquartered in Salinas, Calif. The company worked with him to provide pre- drilled posts to his specifications, set with a center bracket to hold the posts together. Eventually, Verrill changed the center bracket to a pivoting bracket, which allows him to straighten the angle of the trellis for me- chanical harvesting if poor weather at har- vest is imminent. Otherwise, all his grapes are contracted to be hand-picked, including those purchased by Damiani. Poor weather can also be in the form of winter cold. In January 2004, severe cold af- fected Finger Lakes vineyards and resulted in major vinifera vine damage. Verrill had wisely hilled up his vineyards, and Pinot Gris damage was limited to the loss of the crop that year. The vines were not permanently damaged, however, and the following year provided a full harvest. Cold hardiness can be a factor when planting Pinot Gris. The average low winter temperature at Harvest Ridge is 0° F, with more severe temperatures experienced in 2004, 2014 and 2015. These anomalies, how- ever, have not affected the overall production and quality at his vineyards. The vines are pruned by a 29-person crew, contracted by Verrill and four other vineyards. The crew rotates among the five vineyards, this year beginning at the end of February, and his vineyards were fully pruned by the third week in March. As insurance, an extra cane is left on the Pinot Gris vines until bud- ding is complete, which usually happens at 125- to 135-degree days. This year, bud break occurred May 10 to 11. In late May, the crew returns and performs suckering, the removal of extra, non-fruiting shoots. The workers also hand-hoe around the graft union and, post-bloom, move the catch wires every two to three weeks once the shoots reach a length of 16-18 inches. At this time, the crew also removes the third cluster of Pinot Gris (and Pinot Noir). One other post- bloom task is leaf removal, when up to 50% of the leaves are removed to facilitate expo- sure of the canopies. Verrill begins spraying for powdery mildew once the shoots are 2 to 4 inches long, in early June. He uses JMS Stylet Oil, which kills the fungus upon contact. "I look at my spray pro- gram a little differently than some growers. As a pharmacist, I understand the chemistry and microbiology of the sprays," he said. On the second pass for powdery mildew, he adds Mancozeb, a fungicide for downy mildew control. He continues these sprays weekly until pre-bloom, when he uses Quintec, a systemic control for powdery mildew. Bloom averages between June 20 and July 1 and, once com- plete, Verrill uses systemic sprays for both mil- dews, as well as botrytis. The catch wires continue to be moved as the canes increase in length, and with that growth there is also an increase in leaf den- sity. This requires more leaf-pulling, a task performed two or three times throughout the EASTERN WINE LABS Serving the Analytical needs of East Coast Wineries WWW.EASTERNWINELABS.COM Ph 609-859-4302 Cell 609-668-2854 chemist@easternwinelabs.com AOAC Member EasternWineLab_Mar09.qxp 1/22/09 9:47 AM Page 1 Peter Martini, vineyard manager at his family's Anthony Road Wine Company on the west side of Seneca Lake, uses two moveable wires to shoot position the Pinot Gris vines on the VSP trellis. RAY POMPILIO