Hello Winemakers August 09

I just read last years newsletter and with regards to the weather we could easily say “ditto”, with a twist! The twist being that last year the rains would give us more moisture and were definitely widespread as compared to this year where the moisture per rain is less and the weather patterns are very sporadic. We have seen numerous times when the one farm had just a quarter of an inch while the home farm, just three quarters of a kilometer away, received a good half inch, and vice versa. Our mildew sprays have, with one exception, been on a steady 10-12 day rotation which is the same as on a super dry year. This is attributed to the use of elemental sulphur cover sprays which break down in time regardless of weather. We have not sprayed an insecticide this year due to the fact that there are plenty of leaves for all. We used the grape berry moth pheromone, or mating disruption, again this year which makes it about 19 years in a row.
It is important to remember that while we love those dry, thirty degree plus days, the grapes do not. They are vines, which means they love water and like all plants prefer twenty five degree days. So while the pool and lakes are cooler then we prefer, and scheduling a wedding might be problematic, the vines are happily growing and growing. The canopy is again very full of lush leaves, capturing all the sunlight for sugar. This years crop is much lighter than normal due to the fact that the fruiting buds are determined the previous year, which also means that next year will be light. This is the vines natural way of thinning which is augmented by six skillful workers manually, both now and again at veriason. While we are very happy about the flavours and balance on the aromatic whites, we will benefit from last years results by more aggressively thinning the late season varieties. This will increase colour and varietal character, as does the now complimentary use of colour X/Pro enzyme.
Every year we look to improve the way we farm and this year is no exception. We have found a very good mechanical leaf stripper which we will use on all viniferas and then fine tune the canopy according to the variety, type and time of year, and crop load by hand. This will free up countless hours for the hand crew to focus on shoot positioning and crop thinning. This unit will be brought in from France during the off season and will be ready for 2010. We are also looking into ways to reduce fruit set which will produce a less dense bunch, therefore reducing bunch rot pressures. The challenge is to not produce bigger berries but rather to keep small berries, which are much better for winemaking, and a loose bunch. The use of different acid sprays at flowering is being used but is very weather dependent. More experimentation is needed.
We have a new addition to our family of the four legged kind. Upon your arrival, you will be greeted by Crosby who will most likely show his affection by chewing on your body (you know what I mean). I do not recall Bristow starting off like this, but then again I can’t recall our kids crying and teething either.
Please note that this years prices have generally decreased along with the negotiated winery price. Regardless of which form you ordered from, everyone will be charged the same at the time of pick up. Please remember to bring your own containers, ours will cost an additional $5 this year. The grapeline and the website will again be used as tools to determine when to visit us for your orders and Thursday evenings are probably the best time for the update.
Thank you for your suggestions and please keep them coming. We look forward to your visit.

The Watsons