March 25, 2007 Pruning, watering and fertilizing

I've decided to keep a log of our farming activity here on the blog because it'll force me to be more conscientious about making entries. More importantly, though, it'll give me and any visitors, if there ever are any, a history of things good and bad about the process, warts and all.

Pruning.

Started pruning back in January. Because I don't have every waking hour to spend on this business, however, it has taken me until the first week in March to finish. It also took me longer than it should have because I had to begin correcting the incorrect pruning I've been practicing the last two years. It'll probably take me another two years to get it right.

Our local section of the Florida Grape Grower's Association had a presentation by Louis Royes about the correct way to prune muscadines and I finally got the concept right, I hope!

Pruning means having to remove the clippings, too. Such a pain.

Our farm, Skyshadow Vineyard, has about 358 vines at present. I found that it takes about ten minutes to prune each vine. So, that's 3,580 minutes or about 60 hours of pruning. When I prune, I find it is so tedious that I have to do something else after about three hours so if I did three hours every day that I pruned, it took me 20 days! Like I said, that 20 days was spread over 2.5 months from January to mid March.

Irrigation

I have low volume emitters that place two small circles of spray around the base of each vine. Sunday was the first day I irrigated this year. By Tuesday the buds were breaking and tiny green leaves were pushing out. It always amazes me that they continue to survive despite my inadvertent attempts to kill them.

Fertilization

Sunday was also the first day I fertilized this year. Probably should have done it on the first of March but couldn't get to it. The plan is to do it again on May 1st or so and then again after harvest, probably late September or early October. I put a full 2 cups, a little less than two pounds I think, on each vine in a band about eight inches wide between 10 to 18 inches out from the base. I use 10-10-10 with trace elements. Haven't killed them, yet.

Vitis rotundifolia Michx.

If you're interested in an informative article about muscadine grapes, you might want to visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscadine. It provides information I find interesting although IFAS at the University of Florida might have different views on certain points. -Sonny

Let Consumers Pick Their Own Wine

Let Consumers Pick Their Own Wine

By SENATOR PAULA DOCKERY

Apr 11, 2006

Florida consumers who want to purchase wines directly from wineries are being pitted against wholesalers, who want all such purchases to flow through them.

The state announced earlier this year that it will permit out-of-state wineries to ship their products to adult consumers, in accordance with federal court rulings that struck down state laws such as Florida's that ban direct shipments.

The Legislature is working now on implementing legislation to determine how direct shipment should be regulated.

One form of the legislation proposes a cap that would ban wineries that produce 250,000 gallons or more, as well as smaller wineries that they own or distribute for, from shipping to Florida. Such a cap would deny consumers the very access the courts upheld.

Some proponents will lead you to believe that this cap helps smaller wineries. But the only way that most small wineries can survive is to diversify the way in which they sell their wine. Direct shipment enables them to expand to new markets.

And the Federal Trade Commission has concluded that direct shipment gives consumers the freedom to buy wines at significantly lower prices, saving as much as 21 percent.
Lower prices, more choices - sounds good, right?

My bill, SB 282, is pro-consumer in that it gives Floridians increased choice in buying directly from any winery. Floridians just want to be able to buy wines from any of the 3,500 U.S. wineries they choose - it's truly as simple as that.

A cap in any form is discriminatory and works against consumer choice, fair trade and the spirit and intent behind the court rulings.

Where we make the wine

Our wine room is inside the barn where I have my shop.












The racking process.















This is where we test for sugar and alcohol content, and keep everything sterile. The 12' by 18' room has 6 inches of insulation which allows the small air conditioner in the wall to keep it at a constant temperature. Where we keep it is a "family" secret.

The fermenting process.

This year, we experimented with a process that allowed us to not use any sulphites or preservatives. Don't know how long the wine will last in storage but it won a silver medal at the Florida State Fair amateur wine competition.

Withlacoochee Red

This year we entered seven wines in the Florida State Fair International Wine and Grape Juice competition, Amateur Division. To our surprise we won 6 medals, two silvers for a Carlos wine we called Spring Carlos and a Welder we called Dry Welder. Maybe seasoned winemakers can claim to be droll about such honors but for us it was a wonderful thing. We immediately celebrated by opening one of the silver medal winners and toasting the internet for making what little knowledge we've gained about this amazing process possible.

This label was created for a Noble red wine that we decided needed a little help beyond the fermentation process. It was just too weak, 10% alcohol, and tasted a lot like plain grape juice. No character. So, we designed a label to give it the visual character it lacked in taste. It just wanted to be called Withlacoochee Red because the grapes were grown in the Withlacooche River Basin, and since the Green Swamp, from where the river flows, is filled with stories about the truly strange characters who lived there, it could not go without a story about a man called "Withlacoochee Red". Here's his story which we printed on an additional lable on the back of the bottle:

• The legendary Withlacoochee Red had a beard down to his waist that was as red as a winter sunset. He was an Irish immigrant who lived as a mysterious recluse in the Green Swamp with his cat, Jawbone, until his mule died in 1929 from snake bite. He disappeared after that leaving only a shed full of Red Muscadine Wine that was rumored to have the ability to make weak man strong, a dull girl bright, and a dog able to smell a possum a mile away. This bottle, a fine muscadine rendition of Withlacoochee Red's secret formula, holds no such qualities except for the delicate aroma and taste only grapes grown in the Withlacoochee River Valley can claim.

It didn't help the taste but it sure made it easier to give it away to our friends.

FGGA Annual Meeting

Florida Grape Growers Association Annual Meeting

The Florida Gape Growers Association held its annual meeting last month in Ocala at the very-accommodating Hilton Hotel. It was a swell event with great subjects covered by some very knowledgeable people. Unfortunately, every time I’m exposed to an opportunity to learn more about the business of muscadine grape growing and wine making, I realize just how much I don’t know.

One thing I learned, nonetheless, was how much research is going on by the Florida Viticulture Center in Tallahassee and the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Both are playing a huge role in developing a muscadine grape varietal that will make world class wine and withstand the rigors or Florida’s hot and humid climate.

It was very apparent, however, that funding for such programs is highly competitive, i.e., difficult to come by, and needs our support. Support can be given by writing, emailing or calling your local state legislator every time you hear about an issue that affects us. Maybe our local FGGA chapters can develop an “issue alert” for us and give us a rallying cry when our mutual interests are about to be impacted. Keeping a list handy of the names and email addresses of your particular legislators is a good idea. You can easily find such information on the internet under: http://myflorida.com/portal/Government or http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/ or http://www.flsenate.gov/

It was obvious that a lot of work went into organizing the annual event. Clearly, Frank Ascolillo and his wife worked some very long hours planning and preparing for it. They certainly have my congratulations for a very successful and meaningful learning experience.

There were several discussions that were of particular interest to me:

There is a new software program developed by Bonniejean and Bob Paulish that will help wineries meet new federal product tracking and reporting requirements. I have dreams of opening a small winery one day and had no idea that the issue of Homeland Security will have such an impact on its operation. If you haven’t heard about the new cradle-to-grave reporting requirements, it’s a blessing, unless you want to sell your wine. You can reach Bob or Bonniejean at 813-633-8692. Bob's email is bob.paulish@att.net.

Dr. Charles Sims is the man to call if you run into problems with your wine making. He seemed to know all there is to know about the chemical end of the process which, to me, is both amazing and maddeningly delicate. Only slight variations in the multiple steps it takes to make a decent wine can make it very “indecent” in a heartbeat. Dr. Sims can be reached via email at casims@ifas.ufl.edu and by phone at 352 392-1991 x 202. He’s a scientist with IFAS at the University of Florida.

For those of us looking forward to attempting to open a winery, Frank Ascolillo gave a very enlightening talk on the traps and pitfalls of the federal and state licensing processes. Apparently not a venture for the faint of heart. He pointed out that while there are folks who want to help you, it can be a frustrating experience. If you have an interest in this area, Frank can be reached at fascolillo@atlantic.net or 352-249-9116 … and good luck.

There were many other topics on the agenda that once again reinforced the fact that, in this business, for every cup of knowledge gained there are buckets more you need to know … and if you want to know more about what was presented at the conference, Bob Paulish announced that a CD of all presentations will be available from the FGGA soon.

Interstate wine shipments legal in Florida?

In the MONEY section of the St. Petersburg Times this morning, reporter Joni James provides an excellent summary ("Wine lovers rue bottleneck") of the controversy over Florida's restrictions on receiving wine shipments from out of state.

If you've wondered what the fuss is all about, read this article.

From a Florida wine producer's point of view, one might want the prohibitions to remain because it doesn't apply to in-state wine makers. They can ship wine freely knowing that consumers who want out of state wines can buy them only through retailers or from in-state producers. This would clearly bias a buyer's selection to only in-state shippers ... and this is why a Tampa Federal Court, basing its decision on a ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court, recently decided that the Florida law is unconstitutional.

Although you might think that would settle the issue, it hasn't. Reporter James explains it very well so I won't try to do it again here.

My personal view aligns with Governor Bush and Senator Paula Dockery who sponsored legislation last session that would remove Florida's restrictions and allow the state's wine-loving consumers to purchase wine from any legitimate shipper in the country. This country's economic structure is based on the concept of free trade and unfettered competition and Florida's retrictions are clearly antithetical to this foundation of American commerce.

Unfortunately, the Bill didn't pass (I don't know why) so Florida's law remains inconsistent with the federal court rulings. Expect another Bill, therefore, to be introduced this coming legislative session to square the matter away.

Since the retailers are the ones who will lose their monopoly, and thus some degree of business from those who will chose to buy their wines from other sources, the retailers and distributors are vehemently opposing such legislation. It's a self-serving stance, obviously, that does not serve the pocket book of the wine consumer.

Racking the '05 batch

This weekend, we decided it was time to give our '05 batch of wine its first racking. Making sure the recieving containers and all the related equipment were sterile was the first step. In our new wine room, Pam prepared for the process. It's so nice ... no, it's wonderful! ... to have a dedicated space to do this. Trying to do it the kitchen just doesn't cut it.





















Having the space is one nice thing. Having the equipment is another.


















At the end of the evening, we ended up with something between 55 and 60 gallons. Some was discarded along with the racked must. Some found its way into our glasses for sampling. By the time we quit, it was 9:30 p.m. and, as you can see from the blurred images (I forget to put the camera on auto focus), I couldn't tell if was the camera or me that was out of focus.

So far, the wine seems to be coming out great, from our amateur points of view. Of course, it'd have to be pretty bad for us to see it differently. We're attributing this initial success to temperature control. When Richard and I built the room, we put in 6-inch studs and six inches of insulation, including the ceiling. The result is that I could keep the room at a constant 67 degrees during fermentation.

This is the first year we've had enough grapes to make more than just a little of juice so we tried to make wine from as many of the muscadine grape varieties we could just to experience the differences in taste. Though you can't see all of them on the counter, we have ten carboys ranging from five to seven gallons each: three Nobles, one Cowart/Noble blend, one Black Beauty, three Carlos, one Welder and one Triumph. The taste differences are surprisingly distinctive, yet all with that unique muscadine flavor.

After a one or two more rackings and then filtering, we'll adjust for sweetness (or maybe not), and then bottle it.

Meet Weenie

In 2001, on Halloween day, a fearful little black kitty showed up in the cook shack. When I came out to feed Mickey, our black Chow, that poor little thing would scramble, terrified, to the north fence and into the woods. The first time I saw him, he was just a black streak headed for the north woods. After several encounters, I told Pam there was a cat hanging around the cook shack where I fed the dog.

From that point, it was a game of strategy to befriend this frightened, lonely little kitten that obviously was badly in need of a regular meal.

One day, Pam called to it, as women can do, and the black streak slowed. Eventually, he stopped. She kept making those sounds and after several approaches he let her touch and pet him. The rest is "Weenie", the cat that showed up on Holloween.

In this this picture he stands guard before the cook shack, awaiting any sound or quick movement that will send him fearlessly streaking, now, for the safety of the house.

Weenie was not an apparent male when we first met him. Not wanting a lot of little Weenies, we took him to the vet to have "her" spayed only to be told it was a male that had already been neutered. Imagine our embarassment. Imagine Weenie's.

Today, Weenie is pretty comfortable and gets meals regularly.

Pleasures of Growing Your Own

One of the pleasures of growing your own grapes and making your own wine is having good friends join you to enjoy it. A weekend or so ago, Jim Martin, his wife Celia, daughter Camile (attorney), son Devonte (not shown) and friends Festus (sp?) (medical doctor) and his wife Rita from Giuana all dropped by to pick a few grapes. It was a fine day and we enjoyed their company. Fine folks all.

Photo Interlude

Makin' Muscadine Wine

After the grapes were picked, I hauled them in 5-gallon plastic buckets to the cook shack for processing.

Our set up at the cook shack consists of a crusher, a bladder press and a concrete floor that drains easily and consequently can be cleaned easily


We then ready the crushed grapes for pressing. Some have been kept covered and cooled for several days to allow the color and taste from the must to get into the juice.

The must is then loaded into the press with an old pot (sterilized) in which my mother cooked string beans probably forty years ago. The crushed grapes might not look very enticing to some, but to me and other amateur wine makers it's beautiful. If it looks bad, just remember how good sausage tastes.

When the bladder is inflated, the juice is at last released from its confinement in the pulp and peel of the grape. For neophytes like me, it's a telling moment of truth and excitement. After months of pampering and nurturing the growing plants and fruit, the gold is released from the soil and now can be made ready for the next step that will make it all worth while ... or not.


Capture every last drop now and take it to Pam's fermentation room in the new barn where ordinary grape juice will become muscadine wine.

Harvest Time

The past week, we've been processing more grapes for wine. Here are some pictures.
















Richard Blount helped us build the new barn we'll use to ferment the wine once we get it organized. We're almost there. Here he's helping pick Nobles, small red grapes we'll use to make red wine.














Nobles are small but prolific. Folks seem to like them more than others for winemaking. The owner of the Dakota Winery in Chiefland, Florida, told me he grows what the public wants and Nobles are what he grows most.















These are called Triumph. I don't know where such names come from. I guess the folks who develop them get to name them. Some names are pretty hokey. A farm in Georgia calls a large green grape they developed "Granny Val" after the guy's grandmother. .... cute.















Aren't these beautiful? They're called Supreme. It's a patented variety from that same Georgia Farm. These vines are barely a year old so I'm expecting a lot more next year and even more the next. I was surprised and certainly pleased with what they produced the first year.




This is the "cookshack." It was originally a decaying, garage sort of structure when I bought the place. I rebuilt it from the roof down with pressure-treated 2X6's taken from the large barn in the background. The lumber was being used for horse stalls. Since we don't have horses ... well, those 2X6's just needed to be doing something else.

The cookshack is where we do the crushing and pressing ... and BBQ-ing ... and rib smoking ... and fish frying.

Making magical muscadine elixer

To date we've made 40 gallons of juice! Don't know if we should have more, based upon the age and number of producing vines we have, but we feel pretty good about it. Most of it is from the Noble, a muscadine variety and a small black grape that grows easily here, and prolifically.






Some of Pam's friends from HCC dropped by this past weekend and helped us do the picking. Phyllis and her husband, Mal and his wife and another lady. Nice folks. We fed them "cuban" sandwhiches made by a Greek restaurant that specializes in Italian food. Go figure.

Some of the younger vines producing for the first time this year provided enough fruit for us to see what kind of grape we'll be getting from them. I like the ones that are really sweet and grapy tasting, as opposed to those that are juicy but lack that certain richness that I believe is what growing the damn things is all about. Over time, we'll make the decision to focus on the variety we like most, be it a wine grape or a fruit grape.


We now have about 330 vines at various stages of maturity. 40 gallons should produce over 150 bottles of wine if all goes well. Since we're still so early in the learning process, however, some of it will likely not be worth keeping.

Our Florida vineyard - Spring and winter

Our Florida vineyard in the spring.



Our Florida vineyard in winter.

(Savannah, 2003)

Who is this brilliant, fiercely independent woman?

(Savannah, 2003)

My wife and I have been growing muscadine grapes since she mused one day that maybe it'd be cool to have a vineyard. That was in 2001. Since then we've planted over 300 vines including varietes as Welder, Fry, Carlos, Higgins, Noble, Cowart, Nesbitt, Black Beauty, Supreme, Granny Val, Jumbo, and Water Gate. This photo was taken last summer of a Noble vine, a great variety for making muscadine wine.

Muscadine wines are different from the traditional California and European wines and can require getting used to if you've never tasted them. Typically, muscadine wine is sweeter and "grapier" but it can be made dry by not adding sweetener during the fermentation process and/or letting ferment longer. We're still learning how to make drinkable wine and have much more know.

As I sit here typing this, Hurricane Dennis is in the process of slamming into Pensacola and Destin Florida. The media is painting it as a very wicked, deadly, ugly, mean, and dangerous storm. Their terms. Lots of reporters leaning into the wind and shouting into their microphones. My sister's neice lives in Ft. Walton Beach but decided to spend the weekend with her mother here on the west coast of peninsular Florida. The storm is having litttle to no effect here. Some light rain, on and off, for the last 24 hours. That's it. I even went out and mowed the vineyard this morning. Barely got wet. Word is her dad will be going back with her tomorrow and will take a chain saw. Based upon what I'm hearing on the TV, they may be in for much more that just a few downed tree branches.

Well, here I am. Arrived! I'm a blogger!

This is appareently a glass-house exercise, no less.

I'm not sure if I'm talking to you or thinking out loud to myself. Guess that will become clear as I learn more about how this blogging thing works.

I can blame this excursion into what could turn out to be a revealing mental exercise on the existance and westerly passing today of Hurricane Dennis. Being located on the periphery, we're not expecting much impact but it's dark and wet outside thus giving me the need to occupy myself inside.

The reference to "we" is to include my wife who will, I'm certain, read this and from time to time be contributing her own mental prolifera. Both of us find this very amusing, really ... to be sharing personal thoughts with the eavesdroppers of the electronic cosmos, though obviously only very benign thoughts at this point. Amusing and kind of spooky. Presumably one gets over such feelings as courage, understanding and confidence increases in what this process is all about. Does anyone really read this stuff"