Cool photo

I took this photo on the property last weekend.  I liked it so I thought I would share...

Foggy days

This winter has not been exactly what we expected.  We were told that winter in the Willamette Valley includes consistent light rain with temperatures in the low 40s.  So far this winter does not follow that pattern; it has been fairly dry with many foggy mornings followed by sunny days.  One recent day on the vineyard started out with heavy fog, but by the end of the day, the sun was shining on Old Wagon Road Vineyard.

Winter pruning

Each winter a major effort goes into pruning the vineyard.  The vines in Old Wagon Road Vineyard are still very young.  These young vines are pruned all the way down to two or three buds.  Each vine ends up being just a few inches high.  It is a drastic amount of growth to trim off, but the trunk is not yet large enough to support a larger plant with grapes.  The grapes that grow this summer will be cut off to allow the plant's energy to focus on root growth.  It will take one more growing season for the trunks and roots to grow before the vines will be trained and the grapes will be retained.

It is a bit hard to see, but there is a pruned vine tied to the bamboo stick