Graham passed his PA3 test on the 22nd of August so he no longer has to rely on the Grand dad clause to keep him spraying legally. This year we used our brand new Carraro sprayer to protect against downy and powdery mildew which looks to have kept the diseases at bay. We used the 3 K’s: Kindred, Kumulus and Karamate and sprayed 3 times this year: 30th July, 20th August, 27th September.
We sowed grass seed onto all the alleyways , we were originally planning to sow alternate rows, but as the vines are already growing well we decided the competition with the grass wouldn’t be an issue. We planted a mixture of clover and fescue. It’s a slow growing grass mix that will require less mowing, and the clover in the mix is also good for releasing nitrogen back into the soil. We sowed the seed using a seed drill and a water filled roller attached, we rotovated the soil twice, rolled twice, sowed the seed, and then finally rolled one more time.
Ensuring all the shoots are tucked in is very important for 2 reasons: one so the vines don’t snap off and two so that the alleyways are clear when cultivating. Unfortunately all our efforts on September the 5th were for nothing as the remains of Hurricane Katia whooshed through Woodchurch the following week with up to 35mph winds. Those laterals did not want to stay within the trellising wires, especially the Pinot Noir which grew extra laterals that also grow downwards. We’re really starting to notice the downside of having an exposed site, let’s hope our windbreak gains some height and depth soon!
In the second year along with shoot selection and pruning the other task that needs to be done to every vine is topping out. Once the vine reaches above the fruiting wire (1 metre above the ground) topping out can begin. Topping out involves cutting the vine on or below the fruiting wire, leaving at least 2 laterals 10cm below this point. This will focus growth into the chosen laterals and these will form our fruit cane and spur for next year.
We've now completed this year’s soil correction tasks using our first piece of PTO powered equipment, a Vicon spreader. On the 16th of April we spread prilled lime, and on the 22nd of April we spread muriate of potash and triple superphospate evenly across the vineyard.
Vineworks Ltd started installing our trellising on the 6th of December. The rows are 190 metres long, and we’re installing a metre wide walkway halfway down the rows. There are a total of 260 wooden posts, 4 per row, and a total of 2080 metal posts, 32 per row.
Due to the early May planting the vines managed to avoid any frosting during the end of April/beginning of May. The vines have grown very well, some reaching over 8 foot in length. Our first year of work involved shoot selection during the month of June, weed spraying on the of 20th July by Steve Moate. To prevent the more vigorous vines snapping we did some tying up during August.
On May 5th 2010, Ernst and his team from Germany planted 10,400 vines, 6080 Chardonnay, 3200 Pinot Noir, and 1120 Pinot Meunier. Using GPS technology to plant the 65 rows of 160 vines. The varieties have been arranged to maximise growth and fruitfulness based on variety and rootstock.