Very shortly, I will start zeroing in more closely on the grapes specifically and only showing the vines on occasion. I attempted to do so here, but the grapes photographed on Vine 2 showed a bit too blurry. What I was hoping to depict was a tiny bit of shatter, although it is still too early to determine how or if that shatter is detrimental.
I fared better on Vine 1, which still seems a bit further along in development than Vine 2. In the grape close-up shot, I want you to look close at the beginning of red mottling on the leaves. When I asked Gabriel about it, he informed me it was known as "leaf roll." He explained to me that it is a virus that appears in slightly mature vines but can continue with no harm to the grapes or wine for 20-plus years.
A cursory google explanation of "leaf roll" here, seems to indicate that leaf roll could be the result of a deficiency in the soil, possibly of potassium, magnesium, or phosphorous. Now keep in mind that I notoriously have a black thumb and have been known to kill "weeds" like mint and rosemary. So I am hardly one to be able to explain the why's about fungal issues. I have to stick with Gabriel's explanation -- after all, he's been doing this successfully for over twenty years. The attached website offers suggestions on fixing the problem and Gabriel seems to think that over the course of time (those 20 years or so I mentioned), the grapes simply have to be re-planted.
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