Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Dug up

Three older vineyard parcels near us are being readied for replanting. They're parcels out at the end of the dirt road that starts at our house. Last fall, I noticed that workers were taking out the support wires and posts. They pruned the vines down to the thick trunks. When I talked to one of the guys he told me that they would be ripping out the old vines, then replanting with new ones. We've seen this done in a couple of parcels closer to our house.

Piles of old grape vines ready to be taken away.

So the other day I noticed that the vine trunks in one of the three parcels had indeed been dug up. They're piled out there for now, but will likely be taken away soon. Then the ground will be plowed thoroughly and, if it's done like the other parcels we've seen replanted, the land will lie fallow for a year before new vines are planted next spring.

That same guy I talked to told me that an old parcel near our house will be dug up next year. Something to look forward to!

8 comments:

  1. The science of grape growing is fascinating.

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  2. I wonder how old the vines were that were dug out. Thanks for adding the picture of Bert. He’s a handsome guy.

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  3. While probably not discreet, are any of guys who maintain the vineyards 'interesting'?

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  4. Bert is watching me type. Can he see I'm still in my pj's lol? I didn't know the vines were replaced- I thought they lasted a hundred years or so. Maybe they get viruses too.

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    1. Interesting thought, Evelyn. And, thanks for pointing out that Bert is watching you -- made me look, and now I feel those sweet Bertie eyes on me!

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  5. Are the dug-out vine trunks useful as firewood? Maybe you could get some, if so.

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  6. I suppose something to look forward to is a good thing?

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  7. mitch, and it looks to be a lot of work!

    bettyann, one of the parcels had the oldest vines in the Domaine. Probably around 100 years?

    andrew, depends on the season. Look here: https://wcs4.blogspot.com/2019/09/manual-harvesting.html

    evelyn, they do get fungi that cause them to die. That's one of the reasons they let the land sit for a year before replanting.

    emm, they're great for bbq's! I have a big pile already, so I don't need more. They're too big for the wood stove, so I have to cut them in half.

    michael, of course! :)

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