Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/90739
Grounded Grapegrowing GLENN MCGOURT Y Developing a New Vineyard, Part I planted, hopefully there is a correspond- ing increase in quality as past planting mistakes are addressed and new ones are avoided. In this two-part series I will discuss some of the most recent vine- yard developments, which will hopefully result in productive vineyards with the potential for quality fruit and long lives. In this planting cycle, most vineyard expansion is happening in the interior re- gions, initiated primarily by wineries and larger growers. Locally in Mendocino and Lake counties, there are some conversions of pear orchards as well as some areas newly planted to vineyards. In many coast- al regions, much of what is being planted is in existing blocks that are either fallow or have vines that need replacement due to poor health or low yields. T Planting contracts are not as common as in past cycles, so be careful as you choose varieties to plant on speculation. Remember that planting at the peak of market pricing pretty much guarantees that your vines are going to be coming into production when the market starts to bottom out due to oversupply. If this winegrowing business cycle follows oth- ers, it will take about 4-5 years to bottom out and another 4-5 years after that to increase. Also, wineries have the option of sourcing juice and wine from over- seas, so the dynamics are quite compli- cated for longer term sales and pricing. Regardless, if you are in a good region and grow quality fruit, you probably have 96 WINES & VINES NOVEMBER 2012 he tide has turned. Fruit is in short supply, bulk wine sup- plies are low and once again vineyards are being planted in California. As every new generation of vineyard is a better than average opportunity to have success growing winegrapes. Plan, plan, plan I can't stress this enough: Planting a vine- yard should not be an impulsive act! Growers get very excited when they hear that grape prices are going up and grape buyers are returning their phone calls. Don't be in a rush; take time to think out all the aspects of a high-quality vineyard and plan to plant one. After all, if you do it right, you are looking at an investment that should grow and produce for 30 to 40 years. Planting at the peak of market pricing pretty much guarantees your vines coming into production when the market starts to bottom out. In another life I was a landscape de- signer and contractor. I am a true believ- er that thinking about your space and how you plan to use it is the first step of a good design. The next step is the site inventory, which includes all the issues that will affect plant growth and vine- yard operations. If you already have a planted vine- yard that you are planning to remove, spend time thinking about what works and what doesn't. Is the vineyard easy to farm? Do you have uniform growth among all vines? Uniform growth is very helpful in producing consistent, qual- ity fruit. The soils beneath many coastal vineyards are variable, and it pays to do a vigor assessment of your vines before you pull out the vineyard. Hopefully you already have good soil information and know the features of your vineyard. Aer- ial photos can be very helpful, and often the local Natural Resource Conservation Service can provide you (at no charge) with something fairly recent that shows both your vines and soils using their pub- lic domain geographic information sys- tem (GIS.) With a little training, you can even use their website to find out infor- mation about your area and develop your own soils maps.1 This is a fantastic soil information resource for those who really want to consider the intricacies of differ- ent soils in their region. Private consultants can arrange flyovers for aerial infrared photography or normal- ized difference vegetation index images of a vineyard (these can also be done from the ground.) These multicolored images can easily show differences in vegetative growth to give vineyard owners a sense of areas that have vine stress or excessive vig- or. Use these tools to strategize and obtain more uniform vine growth. Do some inves- tigation about why vines in the problem ar- Highlights • The vineyard business cycle is calling for more fruit and new plantings. • Planning is the key to a successful and long-lived vineyard. • Block your vines to match potential vine vigor and proper watering. • Soil percent saturation is an easy way to determine potential vine vigor.