“An exercise of extremes”, well encapsulates this past winter and spring in my vineyard and its location in Colorado’s North Fork Valley. The winter began innocently enough. While the vines quietly slumbered, December’s weather was reasonably normal. This was about to change, with record breaking results. You’ll find data to support this assertion, along with learning about new and surprising vineyard challenges.
Winter and Spring – 2026 Edition Read more...
Grafted rootstock is a plant propagation method that combines a resilient root system with a desirable fruit-bearing vine, allowing growers to produce hardy, disease-resistant plants with consistent quality. In winemaking, it is especially important to protect Vitis vinifera varieties from phylloxera, a destructive root pest.
What Role Does Grafted Rootstock Play in the World of Wine? Read more...
“In the vault”, is a common retort of mine—usually good for a chuckle—aimed at my wife, Janine, when she reminds me of something I must remember. But you can’t rely on “the vault” when you’re learning and managing new experiences—especially something as complex as tending a vineyard.
2025 Vineyard Lessons Learned Read more...
It’s been a great season for my vineyard, resulting in an abundant grape harvest. Vineyard threats were tamed and minimized. The weather was consistently hot, but not excessively so. We experienced extreme drought conditions the first half of the year, which lessoned in August, September, and October. So what’s not to love?
Abundant Grape Harvest Read more...
My apologies to the bard. The North Fork Valley is badly in need of moisture. The 2025 grape growing season in the North Fork Valley is trending hot and dry. Understandably, the “dry” part of that equation might be difficult for eastern flatland lubbers to grasp, especially with the wet start to the season along Colorado’s Front Range.
A Midsummers Night Dream – Moisture Read more...
Alas, it’s my favorite time of year. An unveiling of my 2024 vineyard lessons learned! This is my second such unveiling, as it is the vineyard’s second season with grapes. In some ways, the year was less dramatic and fraught than last year. Only because I was following last year’s advice.
2024 Vineyard Lessons Learned – Fall Harvest Edition Read more...
Summer is an eventful season in the vineyard. While its tribulations can be burdensome, you always come away with new insights. I’ve learned about vine flower shatter, leafhoppers, vine root growth, and how my daily vineyard schedule is not unlike my grandfather’s farm routine.
Summer on Sunshine Mesa – 2024 Edition Read more...
Spring enlivens the soul. There is something magical about witnessing brown give way to green. Of the landscape awakening. Warmer and longer days. Breezes that don’t chill you to the bone. There is no truer expression of spring than grape vine bud break.
Spring on Sunshine Mesa — 2024 Edition Read more...
I’m a life-long DIY’er. It comes from a long family heritage beginning with my grandfather, who was a hard-scrabble farmer in NE Texas. And my dad, who as a teenager plowed cotton fields behind a mule and as a father, planted a front yard vegetable garden before it was vogue.
1st Year Vineyard – Part I Read more...
The time had come to dig holes for the grape rootstock. Complete to-date; vineyard site and grape selection, site prep, vine row, and hole layout, and determine how to plant the rootstock. To do; plant, install irrigation, monitor growth, build wildlife fence, and winter prep.
1st Year Vineyard – Part II Read more...
My first-year vineyard experience was by all accounts a success. The level of effort both mental and especially physical was taxing, yet satisfying. My expectations and excitement for the second year were sky-high. I believed I was prepared but as learned on several occasions the previous year—”you don’t know what you don’t know” (Socrates).
2nd Year Vineyard – Part I Read more...
One of the greatest English poets of the twentieth century W. H. Auden once remarked, “In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag”. This was my frame of mind as spring gave way to summer. Completion of spring tasks as highlighted in Year 2 Part I, set the stage for a summer of pruning vines to the trellis, an activity I immensely looked forward to.
2nd Year Vineyard – Part II Read more...
