Jul 20, 2019 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
I will soon be sharing images of the re-construction of an iconic Cabernet vineyard in the next blog post. But while we wait for the newly planted vines to grow, please enjoy this short sampling…
This is the project we’ve been working on all summer, with old vine Zinfandel and new Petite Sirah and the recently planted new Cabernet block. What a view into the town of Sonoma and down into the bay.
And this is the ‘before’ picture. Steep slope, boulders, rocks, red volcanic soil. Someday, this new Cabernet block will look just as spectacular and produce a gorgeous Sonoma Cabernet.
It is really hard work to dig the vine holes in the heat and on rocky terrain.
This is what a bundle of new Cabernet grapevines look like. They are “dormant benchgrafts”, sound asleep, fresh out of the cooler. More on that another time.
The vine tag indicates the variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, clone is UC Davis Foundation Plant Services clone 30.1 (the famed Disney Silverado clone) with rootstock 110R (very drought tolerant).
A protective grow-tube is placed around the plant. And the water flows. A great sense of relief.
In ten short days, the vine has sprung to life!
And in twenty days the new vine has pushed out of the grow tube reaching for the sun. And another iconic Sonoma Cabernet vineyard begins it’s life, soon to be delicious wine at your next meal.
Bonus Round! KSVY Sonoma radio, you made it this far. Now for the fun stuff…
Am I on the air?
From left to right, the infamous Sonoman Simon Blattner, special guest Ken Wornick (yours truly) and smooth operator and radio host Rick Wynne enjoying a commercial break during “The Morning Show” on 91.3 KSVY Sonoma.
You can listen right now to the ‘grapes and wine’ segment of “The Morning Show” Click here and go to minute 26
Hydeout Sonoma and Dysfunctional Family Winery attended the annual Sonoma Valley Vintner’s and Growers annual member’s BBQ and “launch the harvest bell ringing”. Had a great time visiting with our fellow vintners Muscardini (Michael and Kate), Landmark Cellars (Tom and Michelle Rouse), Nun’s Canyon (Kimberly Hughes), Beltane Ranch (Lauren Benward Krause), and the incomparable Sondra Bernstein.
Click here for an 8-second video of Sonoma Grower’s Harvest BBQ
Snakes are a rare sighting but sometimes the swallow something large (see the swollen middle) and cannot move off. In which case, they become the focus of much conversation and observation. The camouflage is amazing, right?
Back home at the Hydeout Sonoma ranch, summer is veggie time. But that new Cabernet vineyard project kept us busy. Forgot all about these carrots. A wheel barrow and a trash can full! Turned them into a delicious carrot soup.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more blog postings on the world of grapes and wine.
Sep 30, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Here is your Sunday Morning just before brunch wine podcast. While you were sleeping, Sonoma Valley was hard at work harvesting wine grapes at night.
You might ask, “hey Ken, what’s it like to prepare for a night harvest?” I’ll tell you…Are the grapes ready?, where is that lab report?, where are the lugs and bins?, get the tractor over here asap, tell Don Tacho to grab more diesel fuel, make sure we have the crew ready to go…oh no, the bin trailer broke down!, get the welder on the phone, and how late is Sonoma Market open for burritos? These are some of the features of getting ready for the nighttime harvest…
Do you love that cool-climate Pinot? Maybe that spicy Syrah or that dark inky GSM blend? To make these wines, the grapes must arrive at the winery very chilled. Warm grapes will begin to ferment almost immediately. Start picking at 7:00am, and the grapes will be 85 degrees by mid-afternoon. And that’s how bad flavors can arise – like vinegar (acetobacter) and nail polish (acetone). So picking at night assures the grapes will arrive at the winery in mint condition.
Many vineyards are too large to be picked in a few hours. So we must start a few hours after dusk in order to get all the grapes picked, loaded, and delivered by the early morning. Whether the vineyard is large or small, wineries (and winemakers, like me) prefer that fruit arrives at daybreak – so that we have the early morning to calmly process the fruit and move it into fermentation tanks. And then run the labs: brix (sugar), pH (logarithmic scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution), TA (total acidity), etc.
If you have not fallen back asleep yet, terrific. Here are a series of short (and hopefully dramatic) videos documenting one of our recent September 2018 night harvests:
Its a few hours after sunset, the cool fog has rolled in, and we are underway…
video: foggy harvest
Now it’s pitch-black outside, and picking continues using headlamps…
video: closeup of señora Marta picking
Heavy lugs filled with 40 pounds of hand-picked fruit are laboriously carried to the half-ton bins which are being towed behind the tractor lights…
video: two lugs delivered
Highly experienced grape picker Señor Claudio keeps his AM radio going to Oaxacan La Banda music all night long. Claudio has many loving nicknames, my favorite is “El Maquina” (the machine) mostly because rain or shine, hot or cold, he never ever wears a hat or jacket. Believe me, we have offered, begged, cajoled, but he insists…
video: Señor Claudio and his am radio
The tractor pulling the half-ton bins provides bright light in the work area. But it’s an odd sight when you step just a few away…
video: the weird world under the lights
As the night fades away and the sun begins to rise, it’s time to count up the 1/2-ton bins and get staged to load onto the flatbed truck and get the fruit to the winery…
video: counting the bins at the end
And that’s how a night harvest goes!
Coming in the next blog post: Sonoma Harvest 2018 Part 2 “The Day”
Jul 8, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Hydeout Sonoma has many wonderful clients. Our New York-based clients, owners of the Sovare label, came into town to taste their 2017 vintage. Sovare is an estate hillside vineyard near Sonoma Mountain comprising equal percentages of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel.
Hydeout Sonoma took over management of the vineyard in 2015. At that time the vineyard was not in good shape. After a lot of dedicated attention, this is the vineyard as of July 2018:
And here is a pictorial essay of Sovare’s visit to the Arcana Winery custom crush facility where Hydeout Sonoma makes the Sovare wine:
Using a wine thief, I am pulling equal sample volumes from these barrel and blending into wine glasses ‘on the fly.’
Almost ready with equal parts from several different barrels:
The moment of truth, tasting the 2017 vintage.
Discussion follows, how much more time in the barrel, in what way is the 2017different from 2016, what wood to use in 2018, and so on.
And more discussion…
And more discussion…
Having settled on the key next steps fro 2017 and 2018, now we need to decide where to go for lunch! We ended up at El Dorado Kitchen on the square for some al fresco dining.
This is the first Sovare vintage, from 2016:
Jun 10, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Farming Sonoma vineyards organically is expensive and time consuming. And it makes the wine more expensive too. Why?
One of the biggest risks to vineyards around the globe is mold and mildew. Mildew spores over-winter in dormant cane buds and under bark. For season-long control, the vineyards must be sprayed. But with what?
Traditional farming deploys an array of chemicals to knock down mold and mildew. Examples include Tebuconazole, Triflumixole, and Quinoxyfen. To be effective, during the growing season chemicals like these will be sprayed on every inch of every grapevine roughly every 21 days.
Organic choices are more limited, and less effective, and sometimes more expensive too. And they must be applied every 10-14 days. Over the course of an entire growing season, that means 3-5 more trips through the vineyard with the driver, tractor, and sprayer, and nearly twice the total chemical cost. If you owned vineyards and you’re livelihood depended on growing and selling perfect grapes, which path would you choose?
At Hydeout Sonoma, we are sustainable always, and organic whenever possible. And our clients happily (or grudgingly) pay the extra costs – knowing their kids and pets can safely play in the vineyard and (the adults) can safely drink the wine.
In May, most grapes will look like this…
Those same grapes grapes will look like this by late summer…
but left untreated, by Fall those grapes will look like this, ruined…
Mold and mildew must prevented early and all season (until the grapes start to color up or turn red, called verasion). Once you have it, no amount of irrigation or spraying will get you out of mildew trouble.
An uninformed person might drive past one of our organic spray programs and get pretty nervous hearing all the noise and seeing the chemical fog. This is what fully organic spraying can look like from a distance…
organic spray by tractor
And up close…
organic spray by tractor close up
This week, we are spraying a combination of 3 organic products, all approved by OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute).
OMRI is a non-profit that supports organic integrity by developing clear information and guidance about materials, so that producers know which products are appropriate for organic operations.
https://www.omri.org
- Sulfur 80: it’s just like what it sounds, basically naturally occurring sulfur in mineral form all crushed up, and then pulverized so that it will go into dispersable suspension with water,
- Sonata: is a bio-fungicide with live bacteria spores that induce plants’ natural defenses to resist disease development and anti-fungal compounds that have contact fungicidal activity.
- Syl-coat: is a nonionic surfactant which has been specifically designed to enhance the efficacy of pesticides. It is particularly effective when used with water-soluble mildewcides.
Along with managing organic pesticides, vineyard irrigation management is an equal challenge. Here is one sample image of how I manage our client’s vineyard irrigation from my cell phone.
See more Hydeout Sonoma blog entries at: https://www.hydeoutsonoma.com/welcome-to-the-hydeout-sonoma-blog/
Apr 3, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Join me for a quick visit to the Sonoma International Film (and food and wine) Festival, as seen through the eyes of Hydeout Sonoma:
Our houseguests during the festival were the director and stars of the documentary film, Grand Cru. Focussed on the trials and tribulations of farming and winemaking in Burgundy, famed winemaker Pascal Marchand is followed by the camera during the 2016 vintage as he works through hail, frost, mildew, low yields, and bureaucratic logjams in one of the most difficult vintages in Burgundy’s history.
http://www.marchand-tawse.com/en
Pascal’s wife, Amandine Marchand, manages the brand’s front office.
Following the film, Grand Cru, director David Eng (left) and Pascal participated in a lively Q&A.
https://www.grandcrufilm.com
Pascal, and his business partner, Moray Tawse, bottle wines, including many Grand Cru’s, under the Domaine Tawse and Marchand-Tawse.
Famed local historian, radio and newspaper personality, art collector, and all around local Sonoma booster Kathleen Hill MC’d the Q&A session.
http://kathleenthompsonhill.com
After the screening of Grand Cru, as is the tradition in Sonoma, the film crew, festival staff, and VIP’s headed over to a tasting room for some wine and cheese, this time to “Abbot’s Passage,” a new project by sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundchu (of Gundlach Bundchu)
http://www.abbotspassage.com
Abbot’s Passage 2014 “The Crossing”, is a delicious blend of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cab Sauv., from fruit on Arrowhead Mountain, across the street from Hydeout Sonoma
That night, about 100 film festival guests enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime meal served up by some of the best chefs in the culinary world
https://devourfest.com
Joining me at our table was the always effervescent and unstoppable Rosemary McNeely, a woman of power in her own right, and also the wife of equally unstoppable film festival Executive Director Kevin McNeely
This was the dish served by Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn, of Atelier Crenn in SF. The photo does not do the dish justice. It was a truly mind-bending walk through a literal and figurative forest of flavors in every bite.
Dominque missed the chef photo op. Shown here are Michael Howell (Founder of the Devour Food Film Festival), John Toulze (Girl and the Fig), Evan Funke (Felix), John McReynolds (Stone Edge Farm), and Lia Rinaldo (Managing Director of Devour)
Dancing went on all night with a Frank (Sinatra) and Eva (Gardner) themed celebration
Jody Purdom (SIFF Development Director) and Cynthia Wornick (SIFF Board member) posed for a photo op in the big tent.
The wine documentary, “Andre”, the amazing life story of famed enologist Andre Tchelistcheff, thrilled local wine industry folks; many in the audience knew Andre personally and were often moved to tears.
http://themaestrofilm.com
Following the documentary film, “Jacques Pepin, the Art of Craft,” film sponsors Lori and Steve Bush (shown here) hosted us at Adastra Winery, with exquisite food from next door – from the Bush’s very popular Sonoma restaurant, OSO
http://ososonoma.com
Following the film, “Beyond the River,” film sponsors Gail and John Diserens hosted a fun party at Rancho Maria Winery, the newest tasting room on the Sonoma Square. Seen here is Sebastian Juarez, the owner-manager.
http://www.ranchomaria.com
Beth Schnitzer, co-founder of Spritz Marketing (the lead marketing agency for the Sonoma Film Festival), is always ready with a big smile and another fun idea!
http://spritzsf.com
See you in 2019 for another great Sonoma International Film Festival!
Next blog post: A winery on the equator? Yes! A pictorial tour by motorcycle of Colombia’s “Marques de Villa de Leyva.”
Mar 18, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Meet the winners of the Hydeout Sonoma blogpost contest. These 3 eagle-eyed readers spotted my-newt joke in the previous blog post….
For their efforts, they each received a bottle of 2016 “Dysfunctional Family” wine ( a new ‘second label’ project we introduced this vintage), a photo-op, and the incredible fame that comes with this post!
Lori Melancon, Lola Farms, Sonoma
Lori leads all gardening activities at Lola farm, and manages their organic certification program, and makes a truly farm-to-table lunch, less than 300 feet from the farm to the table; if you are lucky enough to be there at lunchtime. Lori, and husband Chris, also run a “Hog Share” program – It’s simple. You purchase a whole or portion of a live hog, called a share, and Lola Sonoma Farms handles the rest – from raising and harvesting the animal to coordinating with the butcher and ensuring you have a great experience throughout the process. Click on this link to visit, learn, shop…
http://www.lolasonoma.com
Sharon Knight, Tech Exec
Sharon’s new position at Hawthorne Effect brings her patient experience focus to the world of clinical trials where 10% – 50% of patients are lost to attrition and trials are riddled with missing data, weakening the assessment of drug and device efficacy and safety. Sharon’s linkedin page is:
Sharon Knight’s LinkedIn page
Sharon is headed to what she, and husband John Hornbaker, hope will be a life changing experience in Germany, in Uberlingen, above Lake Constance – which the Germans call Bodensee, a clinic for therapeutic fasting, integrative medicine and inspiration:
https://www.buchinger-wilhelmi.com/
Ken Stokes, Executive
Ken is busy with too many exciting things to count. Highlights include being the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Olin College Of Engineering outside Boston, Mass., serves on the Advisory Board of the Sonoma Valley Fund (which is part of the Community Foundation Sonoma County), and is a board member of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. When it comes to giving back, Ken is the very definition.
http://www.olin.edu
http://www.sonomacf.org
http://www.svma.org
Upcoming blog post: We visit a winery at the equator, by motorcycle…
