The Vineyards Throughout the Year
Ever wonder what the vineyards look like during the year? Spoiler alert - they’re not green all year round, but they’re still beautiful nonetheless.
January - February: Dormancy
As winter continues through the beginning of the new year, the vines are dormant. Dormancy means the vines are taking some much needed R&R after a long growing season. It’s one of the most important seasons in the vineyard as they will have to have enough energy to grow and endure the coming months.
While the vines might be taking a breather, vineyard workers have quite a bit of work to to to prep the vines. The vines will be pruned, leaving the trunk and a few key vine stems behind. This process is crucial to ensure the quality of the yield. Cover crop will start to sprout & grow around this time. Some crops include mustard, chamomile, beans, and grasses. They are planted between vineyard rows to add nutrients to the soil and are great for erosion control. The cover crop will eventually be mowed & tilled once their job is complete; but for know, they’re growing strong.
March - May: Bud break to flowering
This is the time in the vineyard where we start to see the first hints of green in a process called bud break. It’s incredibly important that these small buds are protected during their vulnerable state. Frost protection is a key factor for the crops survival. If the temperature drops too low during the night, the vines are at risk and may not produce that year. Don’t worry, there are a few measures we take to remedy this problem. Wind machines are used to blow the cold air from settling within the vines and the use of irrigation keeps the temperature of the soil at a tolerable level. Trust us, it is a very stressful time of the year, but the hard work pays off.
As the weeks run on, the vines continue to grow. Vine leaves push outward from its initial growth at a rapid pace. Once the vines are ready, they start to grow buds which will determine the yield for the year. Typically, mid-April is when the buds start to flower. Each bud will burst into tiny white flowers and in a matter of days, the whole cluster will have bloomed completely. This process happens at different times in the vineyards due to location and climate. Within weeks, these tiny flowers will turn into small green grapes that will grow into juicy plump grapes and be harvested in a few months.
June - August: fruit set to veraison
Now it’s time for the real growing to start. The flowers will start turning into grapes in a process called fruit set. These grapes will start out as hard green fruit, growing into softer and larger green grapes. The grapes will begin to fill with juice, which is a mixture of sugar and water, evidently making them softer and bigger as time passes. When the time is ripe (pun intended), the grapes will start to change to their rightful color, which is called veraison. White grapes shift into a gold or yellow, while red grapes will adapt their signature reds and purples.
After veraison, they will remain on the vine until they are ready to harvest. This depends on how soon or late the winemaker like to pick. Some winemakers prefer drier style wines and some like to make sweeter wines. The winemakers who like a little more sugar will tend to harvest later so the grapes have time to produce as much sugar as possible.
August - october: harvest
And finally the most anticipated time of the year, harvest. These days are filled with early mornings and tons of coffee. The order in which each vineyard will be harvested is based on the grape varietal and how much sugar is in the grape. This measurement is called Brix, and it depicts the amount of sugar that is in the grape and will determine how sweet or dry the wine will be. The entire winery is buzzing with every truck load of grapes that come in. As soon as the grapes are brought in, the winemaking process begins immediately. White grapes will go straight into the press, where the juice is pressed off the skins, whereas, red grapes will go into tanks to start the fermentation process. The skins will be pressed off the red grapes later, but that’s how red wine gets its beautiful color!
Harvest takes about 10 weeks from start to finish. At Balletto, we always start with picking Pinot Noir for our Sparkling wine around mid-August. After that, it’s typically white grapes that will start to come in then the red grapes. Yet, it all depends on the weather in these crucial weeks. If there’s a spike in temperature for a few days, it might bump up the harvest schedule or if the weather’s just a bit too cool, the schedule might get pushed back. Once the last bin of grapes has been unloaded, the winery can take a deep breath, just for a second, as the hard work is only just starting.
November - December: Pruning & Dormancy
The grapes are now on their merry way to becoming wine, and the vines have done their job for the year. Each vine had to produce enough energy to not only grow fruit, but to maintain itself in the elements, because not every growing season is perfect. Once the grapes have been picked, the vines remain untouched, to allow the plant to absorb the energy left in the leaves to save it for its dormant period. This is arguably one of the most beautiful times in the vineyard. The leaves turn yellow, gold and red as they prep to spend a few months regaining energy.