Spring it on!
March 16, 2009 by Katey Bacigalupi
Filed under In the vineyard
It’s here! The first sign of bud break for 2009. I was walking with my dad the other day and noticed the first buds breaking out from one of our Chardonnay vineyards. This first emergence of growth that will eventually bear grapes. Most often vines in the Russian River will break later because of the cooler climate and fog cover. This is an exciting yet delicate process as threats of frost can come as late as May as seen in past years.
The transition from dormancy to bud break comes as the days lengthen and the soil is warmed by the bun, awakening the vine from its dormant state. The vine uses its stored energy and food to start producing new growth. From a pruned vine this new growth pushes out into the light eventually using the sunlight as its energy source. The next step after bedbreak is bloom when the buds begin to flower and we get the first glimpse of what this years harvest will bring.
Sounds like an exciting time in the vineyard! I’m already a fan of this blog and will be staying tuned. I love that you and your sister are so involved. It’s an important trend I’m seeing in family owned vineyards and wineries today and I’m really interested to see what your impact will be overall.
I’d love to chat with you guys at some point, as this is a topic I’ve been wanting to focus on for the Millennier blog.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to checking out more past posts. Keep up the great work!