Countdown begins for harvest 2017 in Sonoma
In Sonoma, the harvest is already well underway for sparkling wines and some Pinots. But for the deeper darker reds, we are just starting to do field sampling of berries. And beginning to forecast the harvest schedule. This is vital because every winery has a...
1st annual wine and music party Hydeout Sonoma 2017
Normally we concern ourselves here with serious topics about growing grapes, making wine, building brands, and occasionally irreverent chatter about the mathematically proven variability of scores, points, and contests. And occasionally we make light-hearted fun of...
Managing vineyard irrigation with high technology
Vineyard irrigation systems, even in small vineyards, are either under-featured or overly complex, and most controllers are prone to problems. In the vineyard, risers get run over by tractors, drip hoses get chewed by coyotes, and drip emitters suddenly crack, plug,...
It takes a lot of beer to make wine!
It's an old adage in the wine profession, often said with a knowing laugh, that "it takes a lot of beer to make wine." Why? Because working out in the vineyards in the heat of the day is a really sweaty proposition. And equally, standing on your feet all day and night...
What are they growing in that vineyard over there?
Standing out in the middle of a vineyard in Bennett Valley yesterday, it struck me how many times I have been asked, "hey Ken, what are they growing in that vineyard over there?" I almost always have to give the same answer - "almost impossible to say." This is...
Sonoma Cast Stone, a growing legend in concrete fermentation tank science, and much more!
Being the modest guy that he is, he would fight me off from this label, but at age 82 and still very vigorous, Steve Rosenblatt meets the definition of genius. And with his charming and equally accomplished wife Martha, they make quite the dashing yet modest pair. It...
Plants that attract beneficial insects and keep Sonoma vineyard healthy
The Kivelstadt vineyard on Bennett Valley Road in Sonoma is a gorgeous 10-acre vineyard, now just reaching 20 years old, and featuring blocks of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and some Viognier (for that classic Rhone-style aromatic 'seasoning'). To have forward-thinking clients...
Sonoma mobile bottling line in time-lapse video
I have some of my client's wine made at the Deerfield custom crush facility in Kenwood. I stopped by the other day to check on some barrels of 2016 Cab and Syrah. They had a mobile bottling line running under the tent at the crush pad. After watching this video, we...
Mega-sized sculptures in the vineyard make for a fun evening walk
My good friend and talented photographer, R.K. "Bob" Berg, invited me to join him on a walk through a dramatic installation of new mega-sculptures now underway at a major vineyard here in Carneros. These epic pieces are inspiring, challenging, and set quite the...
Sonoma hits record high temps
Roaring hot in Sonoma this week... Anecdotal information is always susceptible to mental inflation, especially when it comes to weather. Fact-based meteorology is more reliable. But still, it sure felt like this was the hottest temperature any of us could recall in...
Sonoma vineyards in June after record winter rain 2017
After three consecutive years of record drought, record rains in NorCal in the winter of 2016/2017 have left excess moisture in the ground and created enormous canopies in the vineyard. Extra time and labor, and therefore money, is being expended to keep the vineyard...
Hail storm in the vineyard in June in Sonoma
The weather on Sunday got a little crazy in Sonoma as a rain and hail storm raced across from Bennett Valley and Kenwood in Sonoma to St Helena in the Napa Valley. Even during the last three very bad drought years, we almost always get a brief spite of rain around...
Welcome to the Hydeout Sonoma vineyard and wine blog
Weekly commentary and observations about the wine business in Sonoma and around the world.