Entries from January 2014
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Winter in the Vineyard
January in the vineyard is solitude...peacefulness broken only by the quite call of the Great Horned Owl in the top of the firs west of the vines. Neal begins pruning in January and is out by 7:45 each morning no matter the weather because farming does not wait for the sun. Each day he touches the vines, determining the strongest shoots to leave for the next year's growth and the ones to cut back for the second year. This is the third year Neal has managed and trimmed the vines; a way for him to understand the cycle in vineyard, a way for him to touch each plant and think about the crop of fruit to turn into wine...such is the life of the farmer and the vitner. He sometimes ponders what brought him to this beautiful place in the valley which he strives to nurture and which he cherishes. Each clip of the pruning shears brings him closer to the nature of the vineyard. You should think about coming out to the valley in January or February...solitude in the vineyard is a peacefulness not to be missed but to be cherished among the vines.