August 2018

The vineyard is progressing well. The vines look healthy with no signs of powder mildew or any type of fungus. A well ventilated canopy management is keeping fungus at a minimum. No signs of insect activity were noted, and mowing was done to keep the insect environment down. The berries are progressing toward veraison (the onset of ripening). The petioles (leafstalks) will be sent to the lab to evaluate and make sure the vines are not lacking essential nutrients, such as potassium. Weed maintenance is ongoing and kept under control, and discing was completed. Over the fruit zones, netting will be applied for bird control. The harvest looks as if it will be at the end of September.

Ron Buoncristiani