cropthreash

Notes from the Vineyard



Past "Notes from the Vineyard"


Handmade wines since 1983.

 

Notes from the Vineyard

FALL 2000

While there are many factors that influence grape quality, of primary importance is the quantity of grapes on the vine. A grower will happily cooperate on many viticultural issues of concern that influence wine quality, such as irrigation practices or leaf pulling to expose the grapes to more sun. But when it comes to controlling the yield of grapes, money is the only thing that will move a grower to do the right thing.

Each year after the harvest is complete, California's Department of Food and Agriculture publishes a report of every individual purchase of grapes by price and tonnage within the state. Wineries are not identified, but it is easy to find one's own purchases in the report. When I mentioned to Helen that we paid the highest price in the state for pinot noir in 1999, and that we paid either the highest or nearly the highest price locally for every other grape variety we bought in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, she was not impressed. I 'll admit I was dismayed as well. On the surface it appears we are being fleeced. But in order to obtain the best grapes possible, we have to be willing to pay growers generously to ensure smaller yields.

Many growers and winemakers I've talked to try to justify larger crops with the "balanced vine" theory of viticulture. Proponents of this theory believe a vigorously growing vine puts too much of its energy into producing leaves, and not enough into the grapes. The grapes from such a vine will lack flavor because the vine was too busy working on leaf production. To get the vine back in balance, one prunes it so it will produce a huge quantity of grapes, which causes the vine to put its vigor into ripening those grapes rather than producing leaves. This actually works great if the aim is to make a better $10 bottle of wine.

However, if you are aspiring beyond the ordinary, there are other methods to counteract vigorous growth besides loading the vines up with a large crop. A balanced vine is important, but this theory rejects the notion that quality and yield are closely tied together.

From personal experience over the last twenty years, I disagree, so instead, at The Ojai Vineyard, we look for vineyards located on poor soils or in extremely windy and cool spots that naturally limit vigorous growth and yields. In more fertile places, where we need to control growth, we have found that water deprivation and aggressive vine trimming can work well in keeping a vine's growth in balance with smaller crops.

Your best shot at making a profound wine is to start with grapes from a very low-yielding vineyard. This approach is expensive, but if you consistently want to make special wines, you really have no choice.

Adam Tolmach