5/22/01 Purchased 24 acres on Pleasant Valley Road.
Summer 2001
Soil samples were taken and site prep work began on the two acres that are to become the vineyard.
11/01 Dozers were brought in to build an irrigation pond and to build a road to the back of the farm and a building pad. The vineyard site was mowed again and ground is ready for planting in the Spring. A contractor was hired to put up a barn, and local utitlities were contacted to get utilities brought to the building site.
12/01 Building contractor promised a 4 day turnaround on constucting a Pole barn, that would be completed using concrete and some plumbing added later. The material for the building arrived, but rain set in and the project was delayed.
01/02 With ground frozen, construction began on the building, however, the contractor was slow starting and the ground thawed before they could get it framed. More rain set in and the project was delayed.
Grape plants were ordered from nurseries from New York. A Farm Diversification grant using tobacco Phase 1 money was applied for and approved to help with cost share for the vineyard.
02/02 Once again the ground froze and the contractor added some metal work to get the barn under roof. But more rain brought the project to a halt. REA still has not provided the needed electricity to the site.
03/02 Final site prep work was completed just in time for the vines to be delivered. Barn work has not been completed, as the contractor never returned to the site.
04/02 Using a tractor mounted PTO driven post hole digger, 1200 holes for vines and 500 holes for poles were dug where the vineyard was carefully laid out using a tape measure and string to located the rows and plant locations. Planting of the vines was done by hand, with the vines placed in the holes and covered with dirt. A real family project, the kids and my wife worked to get the vines planted as quickly as possible. We even brought in the reinforcements when my father-in-law showed up to help one afternoon.
05/02 Torrential rains kept everything muddy for the whole month. It did allow the vines to get a fast start as they had plenty of water to the point of saturation. The grape plantes budded out and began to grow almost immediately. We started to put the trellis poles in the ground, but so much rain had washed the holes full of dirt, so the holes all had to be redug using a hand held post hole digger.
06/02 It finally stopped raining and the rest of the trellis was built. A single high wire design was used with a lower training wire added. The grapes were growing good and approached knee high by the 4th of July. Having fired the contractor, work finally began again on the barn, but was slow due to my inexperience and lack of tools. Outside metal work was completed, and site work was fixed. Mowing and weed-eating occupied most week ends as the heavy rains of May caused a lot of weed growth.
07/02 It is getting really dry as the last rains were in May. A drip irrigation system was used to water the vines to keep them alive. Rate of growth slowed as the dry weather and hot temperatures kept the vines stressed all summer. Mowing and spraying of the vines occured weekly.
Work on the barn continued as a floor was added to the attic, and the barn was prepped for electricity by wiring the inside. REA has still not gotten power to the building due to them not getting the necessary easements.
08/02 First rain since May as one inch fell the first week of August. Vines have quit growing and are fighting for survival. UofKY personnel visit and give good reviews of the site, mentioning that only suggestion would be to try to increase fertility in future years. There is still no electricity at the barn. Largest vines have reached past the lower wire and are being trained to the top wire. Slower growing vines have been stunted at around a foot tall.
09/02 Dry weather has again been the problem as there has been no rain since the one inch the first week of August. Vines are almost dormant. Mowing once again to keep weeds from competing from vines for water.
No progress made on building as electric coop has still not run the power as promised.
10/02 After waiting all summer for a rain, we get several inches right as electric coop and plumbers get ready to start work on the building. After waiting 11 months, electricity is finally installed! Septic field added and plumbing work was installed. The building is ready for the concrete floor to be added.
Rains were too late to help vine growth, but rain should help plant roots before winter dormancy.
11/02 Concrete was poured for the floor in the barn, and the plumbing was completed. We finally got a hard frost to send the vines to dormancy.
Road work was added to put gravel driveway to building. Work should continue through winter months as weather allows.
12/02 Vines were winterized as dirt was mounded on grafted areas to protect from winter damage.
1/03 We experience below zero temperatures as winter continues. It will be spring before we know the damage to vines. Official low temperature was minus 6F. At least my pipes did not freeze.
3/03 Vines are prunned and ready for Spring. It appears good green stems are there for the new growth. I fertilized the vines by hand with 10-10-10 fertilizer.
4/03 Vines are budding out and were pruned back to two or three shoots for training to the top wire. I sprayed for weeds under the trellis to help with weed control. Vines do not show any effects from the low winter temps. The vineyard was spared from a late frost that affected the rest of the state.
5/03 Mowing has started between rows and further prunning to limit sucker growth on the vines so all energy is directed to the top of the plant. Growth of 2-3 feet has already occurred due to frequent rain. I am spraying fungicide between rain showers, hoping to control black rot and other problems before they occur.
6/03 Vines continue to grow rapidly as the early rains have produced vigorus growth. Over half the vine are now at the top wire, and training and pruning are taking up most free time. I will have to replant 20-30 vines in the low lying area due to too much water from spring rains. There is no disease pressure, and insects are minimal. I saw my first Jap. beetle on June 22nd. Only other pest is some aphids, but they are no threat.
7/03 Vines continue to grow as temperatures are below normal and rainfall is above normal for the month. Cabernet Sauvignon is almost 90% trained to the top wire. The Traminette, Chamborcin, Leon Millott , and Foch are around 70% trained. The Gewurztraminer, Seedless, and Norton/Cynthiana are lagging, but still doing satisfactory.
8/03 Mowing, training and spraying occupy all the time in the vineyard.
9/03 Heavy rains early in the month followed by below normal temperatures have kept the vines growing quite nicely. Vines are hardening for winter and everything looks good as the growing season comes to a close.
3/04 Pruning starts for all varieties. I see no winter damage, even though temperatures got below zero at one point last winter. This year for the first time, I am spraying the ground with chemical for weed control between the vines. The farm was limed, and I applied fertilizer to each vine by hand.
4/04 The vines are budding out, and I have begun the spray program. I actually had time to go back and replant a few vines that did not survive earlier. I had vines in a nursery row and used them for transplants. I started a few vines from cuttings, so I will see if they grow out satisfactorily for future replacement vines.
5/04 The vines are growing very healthily as rains and weather have cooperated. I have good fruit set on Cab Sav, Leon Millott, and Foch. The fruit set on the other vines are only fair.
6/04 Vines are growing like crazy! So are the weeds. My chemical didn't hold out the weeds for long, so I am back to mowing. I cluster thinned the Cab Sav, but let everything else keep going. Japanese beetles were here early, and black rot has started to set in.
7/04 Mowing and spraying keep me tied up on weekends. Leon Millott and Foch have turned color by the 10th, and other fruit is still progressing according to schedule.
8/04 I had my first harvest of Foch and Leon Millott. The grapes were sold to Lovers Leap Winery and I saved a few for test batches in my winery. Leon MIllott were excellent, and I yielded over 10 pounds per vine. The Foch were a little uneven in ripening with what appeared to be blanks in the clusters.
9/04 I harvested the Gewurztraminer with help from family members. (I hope they come back and help in the future!) The grapes yielded around 10 pounds per vine, and the yield specs were good.
I next harvested my Traminette. The yield was low due to a limited amount of vines in production. The grapes were good that I picked, however.
Next, I picked the Norton. These grapes had great specs, but there were a limited amount of vines that produced.
Finally I picked the Chamborcin and the Cabernet Sauvignon. Since the grapes were sold to In-Town WInery, I did not keep many for my own winemaking. Hopefully next year I will yield more so I can make more wine for Myself! I had a problem with Bunch Stem necrosis on my late maturing grapes that cut yield drastically. It is a naturally occuring problem that is a combination of weather anf fertility. I hope it doesn't come back again.
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3/05 A new season begins with pruning. Vines are pruned back to three trunks and approximately 40 buds. I am not noticing winter damage, even though the temperature got to 8 below zero last winter.
4/05 Pruning is now complete, and spraying begins as the vines bud out. I am noticing the Cab sav and the gewruztraminer, my two most winter susceptable varieties, are having trouble budding out. Everything else looks good. I sprayed herbicide between the vines to try to control weeds.
5/05 I am defintely experiencing winter damage on the Cab Sav. Plus a late April frost burned back the Gewurztraminer on the lower end of the vineyard. Looks like there will be limited production in both varieties. This year the variety that has taken off is the Norton. My worst growing vines in the early years is now my most prolific variety.
6/05 The vines are growing good so far. Production should be way up from last year on all but the winter damaged varieties. Spraying and mowing occupy most weeken
