It is now about half way through April and is it spring? It has been trying to be spring here in Walla Walla for the last two months but it has not had much luck. The vineyard is pruned and ready to start growing, it has just been waiting for some warm weather. The vineyard crew has been hard at work since January pruning the vines and preparing for the 2009 growing season. 
All their cold, early morning work is finished and so we are just waiting for the vines to come alive. There is the littlest bit of white fuzz on the buds here at Pepper Bridge Vineyard, and I did notice a few vines weeping on the driveway the other day, both of these being signs that bud break is on its way. It will be very interesting to see what happens when we do get bud break. 
We had a chilly couple of days in December when we dipped a little below 0, which is not great for the vineyard. We were lucky that the cold came with a blanket of snow which may have insulated the vines a bit. Sections of the Pepper Bridge Vineyard may have experienced some bud damage none-the-less. So this year the vineyard crew left more buds on each cane just in case some of the buds are damaged. 
The only catch being that if there isn't damage then Arturo and Gustavo will have a busy time thinning out all the extra growth. Each year has its own variables in the vineyard, but that is what keeps things exciting right? We will keep our fingers crossed that it will be another excellent summer here in the Walla Walla Valley. If we can just get a few more warm days we can commence with the 2009 vintage!
All their cold, early morning work is finished and so we are just waiting for the vines to come alive. There is the littlest bit of white fuzz on the buds here at Pepper Bridge Vineyard, and I did notice a few vines weeping on the driveway the other day, both of these being signs that bud break is on its way. It will be very interesting to see what happens when we do get bud break. 
We had a chilly couple of days in December when we dipped a little below 0, which is not great for the vineyard. We were lucky that the cold came with a blanket of snow which may have insulated the vines a bit. Sections of the Pepper Bridge Vineyard may have experienced some bud damage none-the-less. So this year the vineyard crew left more buds on each cane just in case some of the buds are damaged. 
The only catch being that if there isn't damage then Arturo and Gustavo will have a busy time thinning out all the extra growth. Each year has its own variables in the vineyard, but that is what keeps things exciting right? We will keep our fingers crossed that it will be another excellent summer here in the Walla Walla Valley. If we can just get a few more warm days we can commence with the 2009 vintage!
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