Our grapes were subjected to unprecedented and prolonged high temperatures in July and the impact on our harvests this year is uncertain. The situation is discussed in this blog posting from Mark Greenspan or Advanced Viticulture: https://advancedvit.com/what-does-a-prolonged-heat-wave-mean-for-the-vintage/
Wine Grape Growers
2024 Grapes Available
Dear LWGA Growers & winemakers:
Our 2024 vintage grapes will be available to interested parties, if any member of LWGA interested, please reach out to us:
Sal: 925-330-2440 —-Sal@captainvineyards.com
Susan: 925-899-0703—susan@captainvineyards.com
Our grapes are grown in a green, sustainable & dry farmed manner since 2007
Petite Sirah – estimated 2-4 tons
Petit Verdot- estimated 1-3 tons
Cab Franc- estimated <1000 labs
Pinot Noir-estimated 1200l abs
Cab Sav-estimated 1100 labs
Sal had a total knee replacement among other health issues & will not be able to make wine this year!
Interested parties can visit our website to learn more about how we grow our grapes & make the wine.
Captain Vineyards, was featured on California-Live channel 4.
Next LWGA Meeting: Better Grape Growing, and Host Needed
Happy New Year, people of grapes and wine!
The next LWGA meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 27, 3pm to 6pm. The meeting topic will be on how owners can better manage their vineyard manager and things to check throughout the year to ensure a successful harvest. We will be reviewing all major vineyard tasks and will provide handouts outlining the types of things that owners should watch to ensure better and larger harvests, each year. We will also be hosting a panel of viticulturists for a question and answer session. This will be an interesting and helpful meeting, particularly if your vineyard has not been producing consistent quality fruit.
We are seeking a host for this meeting. We anticipate approximately 40 attendees. Please respond to Gerard van Steyn at gerardvs1@gmail.com, if you host this meeting.
LWGA Board
Wine Grapes for Sale or to Buy
Hello winegrowers, makers and drinkers. If you have grapes to sell or are looking to buy grapes, you can go to the Lamorinda Winegrowers website and click on the Add Post button on the top left to create an announcement that will go to members.
Other sources of grapes:
www.calwinebroker.com There you will find over 20 vineyards, 25 varieals and 10,000 tons of wine grapes close in to the SF Bay Area. Michael
http://www.sachomewine.com/category/classified-ads/
Got Varmints Feasting on Your Precious Grapes?
Raccoons in particular are such a problem because so many live in our area and the crafty little buggers can untie netting or reach through to consume a crazy amount of grapes. One LWGA member even reports that after a full meal of grapes, local raccoons then went for a swim and wash in their pool!
One fairly simple and inexpensive way to prevent raccoons and other animals from eating your grapes is an electric fence. Members who are using an electric fence report very good success. I started using a portable fence this year, and it very effectively stoppeed local raccoons that were eating my grapes and tree fruit. I used portable plastic fence posts so it is very easy to setup and move.
Amazon and other vendors have many options. The electric fence charger can be even be solar powered. Also, I just learned from Daniel H. that if you add a timer to the system it will only be on during the night, so you and your pets will be less likely to get shocked!
Here are some examples for getting a system:
Example charger.. many options out there, some with lights to show power, and portable solar as well
8&keywords=electric+fence+charger
Example portable posts
or insulators for fence
Gerard
