Russian River Valley Winery Tour
MT Jackson
During August wine grapes in the Russian River Valley and other grape growing regions go through major changes. It is this time of year that the red wine grapes start turning color and begin accumulating sugars. The firm young grapes also beginning a ripening process whereby they start getting softer and plump, rather than being hard and firm.
With the acceleration of the ripening process during veraison birds become more interested in the grapes. So it becomes essential to protect the vineyards from the birds. This is done by installing bird netting over the vines.
There are several ways this process is implemented. The traditional way is to cover each row individually. This is not necessarily the best process because it restricts additional maintenance that needs to be performed on the vines as the continue to ripen and approach harvest time.
A preferable way of installing bird netting over the vines is to stretch the netting over the entire vineyard, like a tent. This allows vineyard crews to get underneath the netting and perform precision maintenance on the vines such as thinning the crop and removing clusters that are not ripening as quickly as the clusters on any particular vine.
This second approach of tenting the net over the entire vineyard is a method used by premium vineyards that go into wines that are world-class quality. As a result of labor intensive work that is required to maintain these vineyards, the cost of the resulting wines is typical in the ultra-premium category.
The Russian River Valley has long been recognized as one of the best regions, or appellations, for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in the United States.
Located in Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley is approximately 60 miles north of San Francisco and extends from the town of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County to the Pacific Ocean.
Get more information about vineyard management by registering for The Wine Riff Newsletter at http://www.bestrussianriverwineries.com
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About The Author
Having worked in the California wine industry for over 20 years, I have developed close relationships with wine makers, grape growers, restaurants and wineries. I have been able to work with some of the icons in the industry, and some of the most memorable wines being made in California. http://www.bestrussianriverwineries.com
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