Judith Mountain Vineyard

Five days into June, and because of the abnormally-wet May, the weather has been a vintner’s dream.

For the first time I’m watching vines without the morbid trepidation that usually occurs in early June.  Historically, according to NOAA’s stats for Lewistown’s climate, [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/tfx/dx.php?wfo=tfx&type=text&fx=PNSCLM_2009], the average freeze-free days are bound by May 29 and September 11.  In 2009, they were June 8 and Sept 27, followed by the coldest October since 2002 with dailies 40F below average, with one day reaching -15F, and laying 3 feet of snow in central Montana’s mountains for Halloween.  Suffering the hard  ’09 June freeze and the hard chill in October was too much for vines on the cusp of death.

So far, though, we haven’t had a freeze since May 15, and the vines are growing like crazy.  Well, that is, 69% of them.

I’ve updated the graphs and all the science on the grapes page to include part of the ‘07 through current vineyard climate data.  Our growing degree days, temperature, and rainfall followed by this warm spell are ideal for vitis in a northern climate- we haven’t had a better year.  For the first time I have a handful of vines actually behaving like normal, swelling buds along the entire length of previous years’ growths.

Could it be?  Might this be the start of a banner year, producing stable trunks from which I may have actual cordons?  The vines are already 3 years behind what would be their bounty in climates requiring less leather-like skin.

Remain stolid, at least for another frost free week.  Then get drunk and celebrate.

Spring came early- April was brilliant! …and out like a lion.  After a few storms and from 2-4 feet snow and bigger drifts, we’re just now exposing the vines to the air again. Yes, it’s May 18, and we’re easily a month behind where we were at for growth this time last year. Maybe that’s a good thing- a little delay may help us through another potentially-fatal June freeze. A big vineyard eval this week, planting of some new vines, and a science update commencing…

It’s mid-March and 60F during the day for a few weeks- enough for the snow to have disappeared from the vineyard but the ground is still frozen. On a recent maintenance stroll noticed that, after three full growing seasons and three winters, vines either made it or didn’t- few exist in the between. It’s about an 85/10 ratio. At this point in their growth, the living should flourish- there isn’t much they haven’t already survived. Raise the glass to a good growing season!

well it happened.  too early to say certain on the kill, but I’d say near annihilation of all the new growth, and probably some buds as well.  too bad, because it was going so well this year.

Final Score: 7 hours sub 32, 4 @ 28.5 F        Nature: 1       JMV: 0

Last night the mercury was supposed to push 31…    but only made it down to 34.1 in the bowl that sits the vineyard.  Narrow miss.

Tonight, expected low of 30 for 4 hours starting about 3am.  I’ve got sprinklers on the ready, and hopes for an insulating blanket of snow or at least rain to keep away the reaper.  These are tough nights!  Seems like the weather is threatening many of Montana’s vineyards (re: Clark Fork).  A bit disheartening to have ~10 degrees less of a chance here though.

One of the insurance policies I took against early killing frosts was to plant each vine in a slight ‘hollow’, then lightly back fill with straw, to allow for new growth while simultaneously providing an insulating effect.  This wouldn’t work, of course, if my vines were growing properly from cordons/trunk because they hardened off correctly in the autumn- which they haven’t yet- so, coming out of their second winter, they still push new growth from their bases.  Makes it easier to foil the spring freeze (re: straw, insulating ground, etc.), but bad for the long run it’s their third growing season now and yet a single vine is trained properly on their trellis having saved the previous years’ trunks.

‘Aint easy growing vines up here.  Have been considering an acre-sized greenhouse.

In other news, travelled to wyoming this weeked to visit family and witnessed an amazing and powerful storm cell, the beautiful Bighorn Canyon, and the so-named female? bighorn sheep in full shed.

Yes, well, all in.  Fully-loaded science, on the grapes page.  Check it out- now that I’ve done the structure it’ll be easy to update and watch the yearly progress…

All ’round here nap in the sun today.

I’m finally going through all of the temperature data, and vine health data for the vineyard recorded over the last two years.  Very scientific, I suppose- working out the bud swell dates, last/freeze first/frost dates, degree days [base 50F], and maps showing the status of the vineyard for the last two years.

I will post all of this information very soon on the Grapes page of the site, where the hourly/daily weather data and maps may also be downloaded for public use. (We have a weather station sitting in the vineyard itself).

In short:

1) The vineyard lost about 14% of its life over the first winter- hardening off late injured many of the vines.  Through 2008 to current, the vineyard health jumped 10%.  With the replanting recently, we’re probably within 1/2% of having every vine alive.

2) We have received ~half as much rain this year vs. last by this date (3.65 inches vs. 7.9).

3) Even though both years’ bud swell dates are nearly similar (May 18 vs. May 17 this year), we are at 125 ‘growing degree days’ by today vs. 74 by this date for last year.  This translates to faster bud swelling and accelerated growth over last year; something we need to ensure ripe grapes by autumn.  GREAT news!  [Growing degree days = Avg. Daily Temp - 50F].

4) The vineyard maps use a 0=dead, 1=poor, 2=damaged, 3=moderate/healthy, and 4=exceptional rating scale applied to each vine.  This data gets plotted in a GIS program and contoured to visualize the greater trends, as well as health/vine type etc.  The number of vines in the 4 category are rising!

Check back soon for all of the nerdy science graphs n such!