We've been going on something of a planting spree this spring! Just this morning we began expanding the Willig Vineyard of the Home Ranch, and a few weeks ago we completed the planting of the Marion Vineyard in our Cascade Ranch. With these plantings we're focusing on slightly bumping up our acres of Early Muscat, and planting three acres of Sauvingnon Blanc as a test bed for how best to grow that delectable variety, while increasing our already existing acreage of Pinot Gris and, Oregon's flagship variety, Pinot Noir. Wish our newest additions luck! They have a long, warm summer of growing to look forward to.
Bud Break!
And so it begins! A little over a week into April we're just starting to see the first evidence of bud-break out in the vineyards. Characteristically our Early Muscat seems to be leading the pack, but at the rate the vines are weeping on warm days, it seems that all the vines are waking up in earnest at the moment.
We are currently nearing the end of the beginning of our preparation for the 2018 harvest: the vineyards have been pruned, the brush has been pulled, and the training is well underway. Which is altogether good news, as it seems that we might be roughly a week ahead of schedule. (Fingers crossed, and don't quote me on that!)
If the forecast holds up (fingers still crossed) it looks like by this time next week we'll be seeing mid-60s and partly cloudy weather, which will hopefully be here to stay. All things considered, we're off to a strong start in regards to both weather and vineyard operations. (I've already crossed all available fingers, so I'll just knock on wood now.)
Cheers,
The Kraemer Farms Vineyard Management Crew