Beginning of Growth

These unassuming buried sticks hide so much latent potential.  Inside every grapevine bud is a tiny copy of a fully formed vine – tendrils, grape clusters, and leaves.  To reach full size it only needs sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from the soil.

Budbreak was May 2 in the Pinot Noir blocks.   In a frenzy of activity, our crew spent a week unearthing canes so labouriously buried last fall, to expose the tender buds to light and air.  Now we tie up three canes per plant onto a higher fruiting wire, careful not to break off the fragile buds.  There the canes push out 3-4 foot shoots in three short weeks to form a beautiful green canopy of leaves.  They’ll keep us racing to tuck, train, thin and especially to weed.  By August the foliage of the vine rows will form tall, orderly green hedges — and the hard work subsides until Harvest.

But right now, when the sun rises and the vineyard catches the morning light in a particular way, the new buds look like little green Christmas tree lights strung across the vineyard on the trellis.  Celebrating the gift of Spring.