Spring 2021 vineyard update

The spring of 2021 has been a ‘la Nina’ or wetter than average season so far.

Healthy growth has appeared everywhere. Whilst it has been cool so far this spring, the forecast for later this week, is for warmer weather.  This will produce an even greater explosion of growth setting up an effective canopy to ripen fruit over a long growing season.

The cover crops are still in situ. Their top 30% have been mowed once.  The benefit of mowing encourages and stimulates the cover crop roots to push down further into the soil, allowing more air and nutrients to follow.  This then produces excellent conditions for the microbes that provide nitrogen to the vine.  Vines that are afforded excellent nutrition produces the greatest wines.

As can be seen in the photo there are plenty of flowers on the vines, universal across, all varieties and clones in our biodynamic vineyard.  2022 is looking like another quantity year for Stefano Lubiana.  Flowering is the next stage in the vine’s cycle and once the flowers are fertilised and set we will then be able to gauge the crop level and then take action to balance the yield.

We notice other berry crops in our garden are laden with flowers.  This year’s moisture has certainly added to fertility across all our berry crops.