Most wineries encourage crews to take frequent breaks from what is extraordinarily demanding work on hand, arm, and back muscles. (Rebecca Gosselin)Ī talented pruner can tackle 40 to 50 vines per hour, even as he or she takes the time needed to study each vine. A pruning crew at Kunde Family Winery in Kenwood. They start with heartier, later-ripening vines to protect more delicate ones from unexpected frost. Meanwhile, just three workers manage the boutique vineyards at Capo Creek, taking about six weeks to complete the meticulous job. “It is important to have that institutional knowledge,” he says, “because with pruning we are looking backward to predict the future.”Īt Dutcher Crossing Winery, Reyes usually sends out a crew of ten in January, wrapping things up in about two weeks across the winery’s 35 acres. “Our crews run between 15 to 20 folks, and they have been with us for decades,” says Chris Benziger, who runs vineyards on Sonoma Mountain, in the Russian River Valley, and along the Sonoma Coast. (Rebecca Gosselin) Grazing sheep, raised at Benziger Winery in Glen Ellen, provide green vineyard management. We’re creating the shape that is going to last a lifetime, so we have to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want a little more crop, or a little less crop?’ Everyone is fascinated by just how much you’re trying to accomplish with pruning.”īenziger Winery in Glen Ellen. “I stop by our old-vine Zinfandels and then a couple of our new plants and talk about how they’re pruned differently to establish certain habitats. “Visitors don’t understand how important the pruning is,” says Capo Creek Ranch owner Bob Covert, who often shepherds winery guests into the vineyards, which span 20 acres of Dry Creek Valley flats and hillsides. Pruning sets the course for a vine’s success-even decades into the future. (Rebecca Gosselin) Vineyard manager Marco Garcia of Healdsburg’s Capo Creek Ranch carefully prunes old-vine Zinfandel. This vine looks strong, so it can handle more spurs.” Vineyard manager Marco Garcia of Healdsburg’s Capo Creek Ranch carefully prunes old-vine Zinfandel. So you look at each one - this vine looks a little bit weak, so it needs a little less fruit. “Every vine is individual, like a person. “There are so many things to think about as you go,” says Garcia. Pruning dictates how heavy a crop a vine will bear in the coming season, and more grapes are not always the best choice. “Mother Nature has the final word,” says Chris Benziger. They’re strumming along now and offer a wine and food pairing that is par excellence! It was quite an unexpected chapter following their lives as owners of a medical practice in Chicago, when one day an unsolicited pamphlet arrived in the mail that completely changed their life’s direction…eventually.It can be a delicate decision, since any surprise frost or rain can damage freshly pruned vines, too. Sisters Mary and Nadine Roy of Capo Creek Ranch did purchase land and it took several years to get their footing. However, if you buy a vineyard there are many more hurdles. As it turned out, their brand features a love story that is wrapped in historical lore…which I greatly respect. Though his beginnings were less challenging, delicate maneuvering was needed to “secure” his partner. He had experience as a home winemaker before taking the leap as a winery owner. Mitch Rice of Mersenne Prime Artisan Wines entrance into the industry wasn’t too complicated. That’s one aspect of each winery you’ll appreciate as I get in-depth with their stories of overcoming obstacles. Mersenne created a wine label for a British Indie-Pop band, and Capo Creek has named a vineyard after a beloved singer, guitarist. Both wineries featured in this podcast, Mersenne Wines and Capo Creek Ranch, pay tribute to musicians.
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