WOW what a Spring! Things were hopping around Chateau Z Vineyard. I installed eight new 250' long trellises to plant new hybrid grape seeds along. The 2008 breeding season was phenomenally successful with about 10,000 seeds produced from 231 crosses. The new seedlings are still small but starting to get going after allowing downy mildew to its worst to thin out the weaklings. I expect many to reach the trellis by Fall. I did a lot of crosses using Vitis aestivalis and Vitis bicolor (summer grapes) as mothers. Quite a few of my 2005 and 2006 hyrids with summer grapes are bearing fruit this year and so far things look very promising. One cross with Lakemont has nearly 10" long clusters. Others with Vanessa, Villard Blanc, Pocklington and Vidal are equally promising. These will all show up in the 2009 Virtual Vineyard at chateau-z.com .
This year's Vitis aestivalis pollinations went badly because of rain. It has been dry lately during the Vitis cinerea bloom, however, so I am expecting good set and lots of seed from those crossings. I am focusing on using male Vitis aestivalis pollen on my cinerea mothers to continue work on possible Norton precursors. I collected flowers from a new male Vitis aestivalis on Father Judge Road near here just so I could use the name! I did successfully pollinate my Foxy Vixen (labrusca X cordifolia) with Chasselas this Spring, so I am excited to get growing those out next year.
Speaking of rain, my reduced spray schedule has been holding up well even though it has been pretty wet since bud break. There is a fair amount of downy mildew about, but Captan seems to be keeping it from getting to dangerous levels. All the fruit is clean, save for a very few berries on clusters behind leaves with black rot. This is acceptable given the millions of berries out there. Over all the crop is still in great shape and looks to exceed previous years once again, even given the thinning of Seyval, Vidal and Chambourcin by 1/4-1/3 of the clusters present. I should have enough Rayon d'Or to make a varietal this Fall and if the critters don't get into the Wine King too much I hope to make it straight, too. My Favorite grafts did well, so I will have more Matohe in 2009. I'll probably add any of my own aestivalis hybrids that taste in line, as well. Some other exisiting grapes to fruit for me the first time this year are Yates, Eleven Point, Hidalgo, Alicante Bouschet, Keuka, Croton, BR12, Couderc 4401, Couderc 1202, Aramon, and Rebecca. Lots and lots of my 2006 labruscana hybrids will fruit, especially those using Lindley as mother. There is a Lindley X Himrod (LindRod) out there looking exceptionally promising as well as some Lindley X Rayon d'Or (LindRay) seedlings.
Wine bottling of the 2008's is about half completed with most of the small lots in the jug. I am bottling just over 450 gallons this year as 15 wines! That's a lot of hand label placement! New this year are Vixen Noir from my cordifolia hybrids, Blankenship Black Muscadine from Jerry Blankenship's Black Beauty grapes, 3-D White from Diamond-Delaware-Dutchess (thank Lucie Morton for the "3D" concept), Noir de Blancs - the black from the whites: white grapes made into red wine with teinturier grapes, Lynchburger = Landot Noir, and Rivermont Blanc = Villard Blanc, Vidal and Seyval. Prices on most offerings have been reduced $2 to help move inventory and get the wines better in line with daily dinner fare prices and the direction of the economy.
Rebecca (my wife) and I went to the Summer Solstice Festival put on by the Rebec Winery folks last weekend. It was a very nicely organized function and well executed. The new festival facilities at the old livestock market are well suited to these activities. Great work Katie, Svet, Richard and all the other folks and volunteers at Rebec. Hopefully I'll have enough inventory next year to join in the fun!
Well, that's about all for now. Stop by the Lynchburg Farmer's Market Saturdays 7:00AM-2:00PM to get your hands on some chateau Z Vineyard wine and load your trunk up with fresh veggies, meats and crafts! Pick up breakfast and/or lunch while you're at it!
One parting bit of news. My petition to the ATTB for a new American Viticultural Area called the "Blue Ridge Foothills of Central Virginia" passed into the next stage of handling in which the ATTB writes it into the form to go into the Federal Register and posts it for comment for 60 days. If all goes smoothly, the AVA area shown in blue in the map above of central VA may become a reality! It lies southwest of the existing Monticello AVA down to the Roanoke River and extends from the 2,000' contour on the east face of the Blue Ridge out to include areas of 800' elevation.
This year's Vitis aestivalis pollinations went badly because of rain. It has been dry lately during the Vitis cinerea bloom, however, so I am expecting good set and lots of seed from those crossings. I am focusing on using male Vitis aestivalis pollen on my cinerea mothers to continue work on possible Norton precursors. I collected flowers from a new male Vitis aestivalis on Father Judge Road near here just so I could use the name! I did successfully pollinate my Foxy Vixen (labrusca X cordifolia) with Chasselas this Spring, so I am excited to get growing those out next year.
Speaking of rain, my reduced spray schedule has been holding up well even though it has been pretty wet since bud break. There is a fair amount of downy mildew about, but Captan seems to be keeping it from getting to dangerous levels. All the fruit is clean, save for a very few berries on clusters behind leaves with black rot. This is acceptable given the millions of berries out there. Over all the crop is still in great shape and looks to exceed previous years once again, even given the thinning of Seyval, Vidal and Chambourcin by 1/4-1/3 of the clusters present. I should have enough Rayon d'Or to make a varietal this Fall and if the critters don't get into the Wine King too much I hope to make it straight, too. My Favorite grafts did well, so I will have more Matohe in 2009. I'll probably add any of my own aestivalis hybrids that taste in line, as well. Some other exisiting grapes to fruit for me the first time this year are Yates, Eleven Point, Hidalgo, Alicante Bouschet, Keuka, Croton, BR12, Couderc 4401, Couderc 1202, Aramon, and Rebecca. Lots and lots of my 2006 labruscana hybrids will fruit, especially those using Lindley as mother. There is a Lindley X Himrod (LindRod) out there looking exceptionally promising as well as some Lindley X Rayon d'Or (LindRay) seedlings.
Wine bottling of the 2008's is about half completed with most of the small lots in the jug. I am bottling just over 450 gallons this year as 15 wines! That's a lot of hand label placement! New this year are Vixen Noir from my cordifolia hybrids, Blankenship Black Muscadine from Jerry Blankenship's Black Beauty grapes, 3-D White from Diamond-Delaware-Dutchess (thank Lucie Morton for the "3D" concept), Noir de Blancs - the black from the whites: white grapes made into red wine with teinturier grapes, Lynchburger = Landot Noir, and Rivermont Blanc = Villard Blanc, Vidal and Seyval. Prices on most offerings have been reduced $2 to help move inventory and get the wines better in line with daily dinner fare prices and the direction of the economy.
Rebecca (my wife) and I went to the Summer Solstice Festival put on by the Rebec Winery folks last weekend. It was a very nicely organized function and well executed. The new festival facilities at the old livestock market are well suited to these activities. Great work Katie, Svet, Richard and all the other folks and volunteers at Rebec. Hopefully I'll have enough inventory next year to join in the fun!
Well, that's about all for now. Stop by the Lynchburg Farmer's Market Saturdays 7:00AM-2:00PM to get your hands on some chateau Z Vineyard wine and load your trunk up with fresh veggies, meats and crafts! Pick up breakfast and/or lunch while you're at it!
One parting bit of news. My petition to the ATTB for a new American Viticultural Area called the "Blue Ridge Foothills of Central Virginia" passed into the next stage of handling in which the ATTB writes it into the form to go into the Federal Register and posts it for comment for 60 days. If all goes smoothly, the AVA area shown in blue in the map above of central VA may become a reality! It lies southwest of the existing Monticello AVA down to the Roanoke River and extends from the 2,000' contour on the east face of the Blue Ridge out to include areas of 800' elevation.
posted by CZ über kellermeister | 2:09 PM
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