Winter color

The winter vineyard looks brown and drab, but it is actually alive with color. First, the grass between the rows of vines is deep green. It doesn't get cold enough here to turn the grass brown and it stays green as long as there is rain. There is also a good variety of evergreen plants and trees to balance out the browns and grays of the bare deciduous varieties.

An osier on the edge of the vineyard.

Here and there you can also see plants with berries, most common among them are the wild roses with their bright red hips. The plant pictured above is an osier, a variety of willow sometimes used in making wicker baskets and other items. Around us, the growers cut and use it to bundle grapevine trimmings for kindling.

Osier likes water and grows near ponds or small streams. In the fall the stems turn this bright yellow-orange color.