09-01-05 - Dropping Fruit

Fruit is beginning to be dropped -- this is a purposeful act of thinning. Now that we are getting consistent heat, we don't want the vine to have to struggle more than it has to, working to supply energy to the grapes. In doing so, selective grapes that are deemed substandard are snipped and just dropped to the ground, turning into compost. At this point, we are only dropping grapes on Vine 2.

I also wanted to demonstrate the great disparity between the grapes themselves on one single vine. On the immediate left of the picture, you can see the clusters that have suffered from shatter and just how thin the cluster appears. Yet, only a few inches away and ON THE SAME VINE, are full, ample large clusters. I am honestly unsure why these shattered clusters were not dropped except that if all the mediocre clusters were cut from the vine, in many cases there would be little or no juice.

On Vine 1, the leaves are bountiful, the clusters heavy, like cow's udders dangling and laden, waiting to be milked. You can see the dirt floor under Vine 1 and unlike that under Vine 2, there are no grape clusters lying dead on the ground. These vines, which are a few years older and a bit more sturdier, are holding up a bit better to this year's odd weather.

These clusters are naturally larger and more productive. There is a tiny bit of shatter, as seen in the right-hand clusters, but not nearly as dramatic as those clusters on Vine 2. At the winery, the large press is being set up and cleaned, the barrels being washed, and everything is in readiness... I have a feeling we'll be picking red wine grapes pretty soon!