We finished harvest by Thanksgiving, just in time for frost to challenge us over the last ten days. This year’s harvest was plentiful and of very good quality

Now that we got doused with Holy Water and the grapes blessed by Father John at the great Harvest Party at the winery, we are moving full steam ahead, but harvest is running a little late.

When you are dealing with 400 acres and more than 600,000 vines, it tends to be a little overwhelming. We are fortunate that most of our farm employees have been with us for many years and understand what we are trying to do. They are also a part of our vineyard family. Looking forward to harvest.

Back in our Italian vineyard in Los Alamos, the vines are growing larger than normal due to the massive rains of the winter. In most cases that’s good news, but some adjustments are required for excessive growth. Harvest might be a couple of weeks late this year. We are having cool weather during bloom. With these strong vines, we could have some complications like irregular fruit set. Farming has a hard time being normal.

Over the years, you have heard me mention the weather almost constantly. Well, here is some more. After a winter filled with rain and a cooler spring than normal (June gloom), it has warmed up, and hopefully, we are headed for something close to normal.