June Happenings in the Vineyard

June is one of our favorite times in the vineyard. It is a busy time but one in which we can witness the results of our hard work. Come take a peek and see what we’ve been up to!

The Texas Hill Country was blessed with weekly rainfall this year during June. The vines thrived with regular rain and grew like crazy! After each rain we seemed to have a windy day which dried off the vines and helped against powdery mildew, a common fungal disease.

We also spent a lot of time mowing to keep the vineyard manicured. A manicured vineyard looks beautiful and makes working in the vineyard much more pleasant. We do a lot of walking in the vineyard and walk the vineyard regularly making sure the vines and fruit look healthy.

Air circulation is vital to healthy vines. We removed some of the leaves around the grape clusters so the air can circulate. We also pruned the vines when they got too long and hung over into the aisle. It is not uncommon to have healthy vines connect to each other in the middle of the aisle. We have pruning sheers on us at all times in the vineyard!

Bird netting is an absolute necessity in the vineyard. As the grapes go into veraison, pronounced “ver-ay-zohn”, the grapes begin to sweeten. Our Tannat and Sousao begin to turn color from green to red. This attracts the birds. We got our bird nets up last week.

Sometimes the nets do the exact opposite of the purpose. This bird escaped safely!

We ended the month with a family dinner under our beautiful oak tree. It was a beautiful evening to enjoy each other and give thanks to God for all of our blessings.

Until next time,

Cheers from Camledge Vineyard!