Hello Lamorinda Winegrowers, Winemakers and Merry Wine Folk!

Our last meeting on Sunday June 3 was a great success. It was well
attended, including by several new members. Everyone seemed to enjoy
the sharing of wines and reconnecting. The talk and slide show on
irrigation and how to identify if your vines are over or under watered
was given by David Hicks, Daniel Howsepian and Gerard van Steyn.
Members kept the presenters busy with many questions, so hopefully
everyone left the meeting with information that can be applied to
improving their grapes and harvests.

If you missed the meeting, the presentation is attached. We encourage
you to review it, since walking your vineyard and monitoring the vines
for signs of under or overwatering is one of the most important things
a vineyard owner can do.

Next Meeting: White Wine Winners and Preventing Varmints from Eating
Your Grapes.

The next member meeting will be on Sunday July 28th, 3pm to 6pm at
Daniel and Anniemeke Howsepian’s house, 3345 Hermosa Way, Lafayette,
CA 94549

The white wine winners from our member’s choice wine rating event will
be pouring their wines and explaining how they were grown and made. We
will also be showing you how to easily install an inexpensive
temporary or permanent electric fence that turns on just at night and
will keep raccoons, skunks and other animals from eating all of your
grapes.

Winegrowers and researchers weigh in on site selection, canopy management, and other strategies to manage growth and ripeness

Winegrowing is very much about balance. A vine needs enough canopy and growth to ripen the grapes, but if it has too much, problems can arise—including ripening issues, ironically. In order to find that balance, understanding and managing vine vigor is essential.

On a very basic level, vigor refers to the amount of growth—shoots, leaves, and grapes—produced by a grapevine over the course of a season. If a vine has many long shoots as well as larger leaves and yields a large crop, it has a lot of vigor. If the vine has trouble growing shoots up to the trellis wires and bears a very limited crop, it’s low on vigor.

Alan N. Lakso, a professor emeritus at Cornell University’s School of Integrative Plant Sciences in New York’s Finger Lakes region, explains that interpreting vigor can be complicated. “If you think of vine shoots, and one is very long and the other one is short, the long one has more vigor, and everyone is on the same page about that,” he says. “However, for the vine as a whole, it’s more complicated. With pruning, if you leave only a few shoots, they’ll grow long and be more vigorous. But the total growth of the plant would be greater on a vine where you left a lot of shoots.” A plant might have more energy than another but show less overall vigor because it’s been pruned back more heavily.

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Patricia Skinkis, a viticulture extension specialist and an associate professor at Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences in Corvallis, also notes that vine vigor can be measured in a number of different ways, such as by the vine’s rate of growth or by winter pruning weight, which is the amount of material removed after the growing season. “The term vigor,” she says, “becomes a matter of debate when it comes to researchers.”

Too Much of a Good Thing

The term vine vigor can also have a different meaning for growers than it does for researchers. “In winegrowing, vigor tends to be interpreted on the high side,” says Skinkis, who notes that most often, the concept becomes a preoccupation when there is excess vigor. “For growers and vineyard managers, it’s about shoot growth, lateral growth, things that need to be managed.

”Although it might seem as though this growth would be beneficial, a vine that has too much vegetal growth—big canes, big leaves, lots of lateral shoots (also known as suckers)—will have a crowded canopy, which creates excessive shade, slows ripening, and hinders airflow, which in turn encourages the growth of fungal diseases. Jason Lett, the owner and winemaker of Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, once faced such issues in vineyard sections that were closely planted on rich soils. He changed the trellising system to channel the excessive vigor into a more open and widely spread canopy, restoring airflow and reducing disease in the process—and, consequently, improving grape quality. “We used to cut bunches because they were stuck in foliage and had powdery mildew,” he says. “Now, we only cut them when there is uneven ripening.”

If energy goes to shoots and leaves, grape maturity can be affected. Lakso explains that in studies done on Cabernet Franc in the Finger Lakes, ripening problems appeared when there was too much vigor. “Lots of variations were used in the number of shoots and growth levels,” he says, “and what we saw is that when there is more vigor, the grapes retain more methoxypyrazines. White [grapes] tend to be more tolerant of these situations, but in red grapes, the skin-to-volume ratio goes down when there is lots of vigor, meaning [there’s] less concentration—and green character remains.”

However, research conducted by Skinkis in Oregon has shown that crop thinning—dropping grape bunches in order to reduce the crop load and foster better ripening—has limited effects on a plant’s overall vigor. This has led to questions about the usefulness of the practice in achieving the desired results. “It’s likely,” she says, “[that] the plants can hold all that fruit.”

External Factors

The vigor of a plant also depends on other factors, such as water availability, soil fertility, and rootstocks. “If you go to a vineyard and you see vines that are on shallow soil,” says Lakso, “and others are in deep soil, the ones with more water and more soil will grow more, and the vine as a whole will have more vigor.” Looking at vigor becomes a very different exercise in Virginia, for example, where summer precipitation is plentiful, than in California or Washington, where summers are dry and many growers use deficit irrigation to keep the vines alive and productive.

Nutrients are significant as well. If a vineyard is planted on rich soil, especially agricultural soil that was heavily fertilized, vigor can increase considerably. “Vines really want to grow,” says Lakso. “I once saw a single shoot that measured 62 feet long [growing] around a pergola at a private home. If you give them water and nutrients, they’ll grow like crazy.” In drier climates where resources are less readily available, using cover crops between rows, under vines, or both can create competition for nitrogen, other nutrients, and water, making the technique an effective tool for moderating vine growth where necessary. When water and nutrients are more plentiful, cover crops are less effective at limiting vigor because there’s plenty of resources to go around and all the plants can grow without being in any significant competition.

Jean Hoefliger, a winemaker at Alpha Omega Winery in the Napa Valley and a consulting winemaker for other estates in Priorat and Tuscany, among others, points out that seasonal variations in the availability of water and nutrients can have powerful effects on the vines’ behavior. “This year, in Napa,” he says, “we’ve had lots of rain, especially in May, and that has created a push for very strong vegetative growth in the vines. The water gives the vines a signal that resources are abundant and the plants react accordingly.” But Hoefliger adds that when the vines are set up for abundance, “once the weather becomes hot and dry, the plants have a greater tendency to shut down, which can affect the fruit’s development. The fruit set is also negatively affected because the energy is all going to leaves and shoots.” There are, however, means to manage such reactions to weather changes, like leaving extra shoots on the vines early in the season to capture rising sap and vigor, and then cutting them later on so the plant can shift its focus back to ripening grapes.

Conversely, Hoefliger adds, very dry and hot years like 2003 in Bordeaux or 2015 and 2016 in California can negatively affect the vines’ growth so much that the effect extends into the following vintages. When a plant is insufficiently vigorous, grape quality can also be impacted. “If the vine isn’t strong enough,” he says, “acid drops out very quickly and berries tend to get dehydrated.”

Well-grounded Vines

Rootstocks can also exert an influence, and many are cited as either increasing or restricting vigor. It’s hard to draw general conclusions, though. Results of their use vary, especially between wetter and drier climates. Rootstocks that restrict growth in many California vineyards can be fairly generous once planted in the water-retaining Jory soils of the Willamette Valley, or in wetter northeastern U.S. regions. Also, as Lakso points out, the effects of rootstocks on vines are relatively moderate compared with their effects on other plants. “In fruit trees, there are rootstocks that will turn very tall varieties into dwarf trees that stop growing at two or three meters high,” he says. “In grapevines, the effects are nowhere near that.”

At Eyrie Vineyards, Lett has been researching new options for rootstocks in his vineyards, as sections of older, own-rooted vines are succumbing to phylloxera. The search has been proving difficult. “It’s a bit of a tall order to find rootstocks that give you moderate vigor, drought tolerance, and good acid retention,” he says. “Also, when you read descriptions from nurseries, one will tell you that such and such rootstock is drought resistant, and the other one tells you the opposite, and the same thing for moderating vigor.” This has led Lett to try to find his own, distinctive rootstocks—while trying to envision the effects that climate change, causing drier, hotter summers, might have for dry-farmed vines in Oregon.

From site selection to canopy management and the use of cover crops, there are many ways in which winegrowers and vineyard managers can work to achieve the desired vigor—or put another way, the desired balance—of their vines. Though Skinkis cautions that the concept of balance irks some researchers because it’s hard to quantify, she still thinks it’s useful. “It’s a true concept,” she notes. “The vines need to reach a certain balance to ripen fruit and be productive, whether it’s natural balance or something we need to do to help them reach it. We have a lot of control: We can use shoot thinning, leaf removal, hedging, crop thinning, and other means to moderate vigor.” Solutions, however, are far from uniform; approaches used to manage vigor and establish balance need to be specifically tailored. “It’s really based on what you find on your site and in your region,” Skinkis says. “There is a site effect.”

Rémy Charest is a journalist, writer, and translator based in Quebec City, Canada. He has been writing about wine and food since 1997 for various Canadian and American print and online publications, including Chacun son vin/WineAlign, Wine Enthusiast, Le Devoir, Le Soleil,  EnRoute, Palate Press, Punch Drink, and Châtelaine, and has been a regular radio columnist for CBC/Radio-Canada. He has also judged national and international wine competitions, notably the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, the TEXSOM International Wine Awards, and the International Rosé Cham

During bloom is the ideal time to test your grape leaves and petioles (leaf stems) for any nutritional deficiencies. This analysis can be really helpful, particularly if your vineyard has suffered from low production or illness/disease. And you can use the results to add fertilizer or minerals if needed. Here is some info from FGL, one of the testing companies that I have used. ETS Labs and other testing companies perform this test as well.

For the leaf/petiole analysis, I have used FGL. Request the comprehensive petiole group. They will bill you around $60 for this. Follow instructions for sampling at bloom. Make sure to collect your samples in the morning, and cut the stems (petioles) of the leaves right away otherwise nutrients can flow from petiole to leaf, and brown bag them in separate bags instead of using ziplocks.  I send them in one usps priority mail box instead of overnight because overnight is so expensive. If you use priority mail, get them to the post office before noon on either monday or tuesday so they get to the lab before the weekend, and send them to the Santa Paula address.
http://www.fglinc.com/documents/SamplingProcedures-AG/Grape_Leaf_and_Soil.pdf
https://www.fglinc.com/documents/FGLAgChain.pdf

https://www.fglinc.com/frmSamples.php?sample=%3Cb%3EComprehensive+Petiole+Group%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Nitrate-Nitrogen%2C+Phosphate-phosphorus%2C+Potassium%2C+Calcium%2C+Magnesium%2C+Zinc%2C+Manganese%2C+Iron%2C+Copper%2C+Boron%2C+Sodium&division=Ag&sub_division=Comprehensive+Petiole+Group&ID=164

On April 7, 2019, LWGA held another very interesting and fun event at the Lafayette Library.  This event was part of our continuing series of meetings as outlined on the LWGA calendar for the LWGA membership.  

For this meeting, Members were asked to contribute wines of their making for a peer tasting.  We had over 30 entries!  Below are the final winners by category:        

Other Reds;  Three way tie!: 

Pinot Noir;    Non AVA   Winner  Meadowview   Russian River    2015
                      AVA    Winner  Cheery  Lamorinda        2016                              AVA    Winner  Ward     Lafayette        2014

Red Wines;  Cab & Friends;  

Cab               AVA    Winner    Deer Hill      Lafayette            2016
Syrah;            AVA    Winner    Coletta          Orinda                2014
Super T;        AVA    Winner    Meadow View  Moraga            2016

White Wines;                         

Chardonnay Non AVA   Winner Ancient Lakes  Clear Lake    2014
Chardonnay  AVA    Winner Meadowview     Moraga      2017

Other Whites;                     

 Viognier;        Non AVA   Winner   Ancient Lakes    Clear Lake       2014

There were very nice appetizers brought by the members and the wine tasting was a lot of fun and delicious!  The consensus of those present was there was not a single bad entry, so the competition was very close indeed.  This is a wonderful outcome and shows that the Lamorinda AVA wines are of high quality and can only improve!  Our educational sessions with the LWGA meetings hope to aid everyone improve their wine growing and wine making efforts!

Thank you to all who contributed wines for this event!!
At our July 27  meeting,  the winners of the White Wine category will have the pleasure of telling us how they sourced their grapes and how they made their wines so we can all have a shot of winning at our next wine tasting event .  We will also be able to compare the AVA with non AVA. 
The red wine winners will present at our September 29 meeting.   

We, on the board, are very pleased to be able to provide these sessions and are very happy to see the level of interest in these topics!  

We look forward to seeing everyone for our June 2, 2019 AVA celebration!  There will be a special timely, informative viticulture session,  about irrigation and canopy management.

Hello Fellow LWGA members,

We are very excited and pleased to inform you about our upcoming April 7, 2019 meeting for the LWGA membership.   We are following up on our annual survey and resulting schedule to provide you with useful  information and discussions about wine growing and wine making. Our last meeting on January 27th, 2019 LWGA held its annual general meeting at the Hacienda De las Flores in the fire side room and adjacent meeting room.  This was a very successful and informative panel meeting discussing viticulture practices and suggestions by a panel of experienced wine growers, managers and owners. Please refer to the link below for a recap if you were not there:  https://lamorindawinegrowers.com/lwgas-january-27th-general-meeting-recap/

On April 7, 2019, we will be holding our next  meeting at the Lafayette Library & Learning Center beginning @ 3 PM – 6 PM,  where we will be asking you to participate by delivering a bottle of you AVA or non AVA wine that you have produced for a blind informal tasting by your peers.   Drop off locations for your one bottle per category of your entry wine will be at: (you can enter as many as you like)

Daniel Howsepian’s home;    3345 Hermosa Way; Lafayette

Bill Scanlin’s home;    6 Lois Lane, Lafayette

Bill English’s home;    81 Meadow View Road, Orinda

You will find a cooler at the front door labeled “LWGA”  to deposit your entries. Make sure you have your name; wine varietal  and source location and year attached. No $ 5.00 per entry fee requested this year.  We will take good care of your wine until the event.

or, if you must, but discouraged, since it takes time to organize,  you can bring your entries early to the venue on April 7th.

We will be handing out voting forms and collected that day, which will be asking for your favorite choice, second and third choice to be tallied and announced at the end of the meeting.

Winners will be asked in future meetings to address the LWGA membership about your wines, methods and procedures about your grape growing and wine making practices that made you a winner.  Should be very informative for the rest of us.

Please review the attached 2019 schedule of events  so that you will not miss out on information that you might be interested in.

Look forward to your participation and seeing all of you again on April 7!

Please bring an appetizer to share.

Link to LWGA 2019 Meetings

LWGA Board

The Board would like to remind members to submit their total crop harvest of 2018.

The total number of pounds from Lamorinda AVA grapes will be counted in the annual contra costa crop report.

This would be the first year that Lamorinda AVA grapes will be added to the county total.

So, we urge you to send your total harvest amount by March 10^th to be added to the crop report… send it to:  susan@captainvineyards.com

LWGA Board

One of our members David Hicks is hosting a Lake County weekend wine tasting event in July.

This is being sent out as a courtesy to our membership and the Lamorinda Wine Growers Association is not sponsoring or responsible for the event.

Please contact David Hicks directly if you are interested or have any questions.  His contact information is included in the flyer link below:

Link to Event Flyer:  David Hicks – AN INVITATION TO WINEMAKERS AND GUESTS

LWGA Board

• The discussion followed the handout which addresses what happens in the vineyard over the course of the year.  Specifically, what gets done, who typically does it when you have a vineyard manager and who is involved in the decision making.
• The goal was to facilitate the kind of collaboration between the grower, the vineyard manager and the winemaker that is conducive to a successful crop in terms of yield and quality.

Below are the candidate statements for the six candidates currently running for election to the Lamorinda Wine Growers Association Board of Directors.

The electronic ballot will be emailed to all voting members shortly after the General Membership meeting on January 27th.

If you are interested in becoming a board member, please contact Carol Haag (carolhaag7@gmail.com) as soon as possible.

Bill English                                   

My name is Bill English.  While I do not grow grapes, I have been an advocate for Lamorinda winegrowing and pretty much specialize in Lamorinda with my winemaking. I have sought to promote better wine growing and better wine making in the AVA.  Many of you attended one of the winemaking classes I offered to the membership in past years. I served on the AVA committee headed by Dave Rey and a term on the board. 

LWGA’s stated mission is to provide on-going education and support for its members in the areas of vineyard maintenance and management, and winemaking; foster communication and the exchange of information among its members; encourage sustainable practices, resulting in the production of high quality grapes and wine in an environmentally-friendly and socially responsible fashion; promote the Lamorinda community and its status as a winegrowing region, enhancing the marketability of Lamorinda-grown grapes and Lamorinda-made wine; and cultivate a strong relationship with the local community.

I think we have done a pretty good job of some of his, however we have found that defining and implementing the part about providing on-going education and support for its members in the areas of vineyard maintenance and management, and winemaking has been more difficult than meets the eye.  I learned this first hand in my previous term on the board. After more thought and discussions with current board members and prospective board member David Hicks, I would like to take another shot at it.  We need to recognize the heterogeneous nature of the group and the need to provide more in-depth support to those with interest in learning winegrowing best practices and winemaking practices without forcing technical details on those who don’t have the need or interest.  To support this we suggest forming Special Interest Groups for winegrowing and winemaking to take these technical discussions offline from the main meetings while supporting members who want a deeper dive in those areas. We hope that this will not only support current members but attract new members and stimulate past members to rejoin who have interest in these areas.

Hopefully in the process we will enhance the experience of our members and the quality of Lamorinda grapes and wine. 

I would like the opportunity to help develop a path forward in these areas by re-joining the board. I request your support.

David Hicks                                                       

Wine education, grape growing and winemaking history;

Resident of Lafayette since 1978. Lived in Happy Valley till 2000, still live in downtown Lafayette.

Have a vineyard and winery on my property in Lake County where I also have home and where I’ve been making wines since 2007.

From 2003 to 2006 took every viticulture, winemaking and wine sensory course offered at Davis. 

Planted my vineyard myself on my property in Lake County in 2004.  Harvested and made first vintage in 2007. 

Starting in 2010 began acquiring grapes from other Lake County growers. Have made 8 red varieties, 3 white varieties, Port, late harvest Sauturn, and Brandy.  Have also made wonderful Chard from Moraga grapes from Jon Leutneker’s vineyard.  I do all the vineyard tending and winemaking myself. Seek help from the Davis extension as needed to stay on top of issues and developments in the industry.  Entered many wine comps, wining several Best of Show, numerous gold, and other awards. 

How I might contribute to the Lamorinda AVA membership as a board member? 

The AVA is passing into a new faze as a result of the founding members achieving the goal of getting the AVA established.  A big task for which I’m sure all members are most appreciative.  For the AVA to continue to prosper and grow, ideas need to be contributed and listened to from all who wish to put them forth.  As a quasi outsider to the AVA I still have a lot to learn about where things are now and how the members and leadership sees things moving forward. 

On a one to one basis I am willing to consult [for wine and food only] on winemaking to members that are growing their own grapes and making their own wine.  Additionally I feel it’s important for all board members to consult among themselves and concurrently and consistently seek input from the general members regarding what the direction of the AVA should be. Leslie took a survey a while back on many of these issues and I will need to become familiar with those results.  

Moving any organization from start up to steady state is no easy task. I have had experience doing this type of thing in my career in the Software Engineering Consulting business.  There seems to be a lot to do regarding the future of the AVA and I’m willing to contribute to that process.

Thank you,

Daniel Howsepian                        

Raisin d’être Vineyard; (Est. 2012)  350 vines total;  275 Vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and 75 Vines of Merlot

3345 Hermosa Way

Lafayette, CA 94549

925-858-7000

DOB;  02/28/52; Paris, France

Brooklyn Technical H/S: Electrical Engineering

Pratt Institute; Electrical Engineering

City College of NYC @ Queens; BA in Economics; 

RE Finance Accoc @ So Lake Tahoe CC

Resident of Orinda since 1985 – 2011;

Resident of Lafayette since 2011;

Married with three children;

My wife, Annemieke,  works at the Dutch Consulate in SF and owns a Jazzercise franchise in Pleasant Hill; 

All kids went to:  Del Rey; OIS; Miramonte H/S;

dh Structures Inc; General Building Contractor/Developer in Lamorinda & East Bay; Currently Retired with new career as wine grower/maker

Served as Secretary; then Treasurer,  then President of the Orinda Park Pool; 1988-1994.;

Working as NSP (National Ski Patrol) Ski Patroller @ Squaw Valley since 1998 ;

Certified First Responder and an Outdoor Emergency Technician;

Secretary of the Squaw NSP for two years;

Squaw Valley Ski Patrol Testing & Training Coordinator for two years;

Squaw Valley Ski Patrol Patrol Leader & Chair of Board of Directors for six years; 

Received National Appointment by NSP in 2011;

Currently on Board of Directors of the Squaw Valley NSP; 

Currently on LWGA Board for the last two years

We moved from Orinda to Lafayette in 2011, downsizing once our kids were on their own.  Found a great house renovation project in Lafayette with vineyard potential which I had in mind for many years.

Joined the LWGA in 2012 and have been very happy & proud to be a founding member of the Lamorinda AVA.  

It has been a pleasure to be on the board for the last two years!  Together, we have been able to; 

–  Fend off an attempt by the Moraga planners to dramatically impact our ability to grow grapes in Moraga; 

–  Reduced our overall spending budgets by reducing our insurance expenses;

–  Created an outline for the development and access of  grape growing, winemaking, resource and educational opportunities for the membership to use and enjoy;

–  Enthusiastically supporting the LWGA  AVA brand through promotions; exposure; activities to educate, taste  and to guide our members to elevate their wine growing and wine making outcomes to earn a high level of success and recognition in the region; 

–  Providing a warm social interaction between all members of the organization, by providing a regular schedule of informative and social activities throughout the year. 

–  And many other achievements as well. 

I am enthusiastic about our vineyard, enjoy the wine making  and socializing with the LWGA and all that it brings to our lives. I am interested in continuing my participation  with LWGA  Board and would like to see it grow in the future to level it deserves. 

Hope to have your continued support!

Thank you. 

Larry Thal                                             

I am currently serving as LWGA Secretary.  I have considerable board experience and look forward to continuing to serve the Lamorinda Winegrowers’ Association and its members, if elected to do so.

My wife, Esther, and I planted approximately 2,300 vines in 2010 and had our sixth harvest this past year. Our varietals consist of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.  Thal Vineyards, LLC is bonded with an O-2 license. 

I am retired, having done so for the third time (United States Air Force, private practice of optometry and Clinical Professor and Assistant Dean University of California).  Some of my other board experience includes serving as President of the California State Board of Optometry on five occasions and serving two years as President of the California Optometric Association.  I recently completed two terms on the board of an independent private school in the East Bay, and for over 20 years I have served as president of two homeowners’ associations.

Leslie Ward                                                       

Education: B.S. Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design, California Polytechnic, SLO, CA. LEED Accredited Professional since 2004.  Over 25 years of educating communities, construction building trades, and design teams on the benefits and savings of green/sustainable design and building practices. 

Relationship to LWGA: One of the founding members of the LWGA (2005). Past posts with LWGA include President of the Board (2014); Board Member (2013 – 2018); Board Member of the Orinda Chamber of Commerce (2016 – 2019) and Liaison for the LWGA.  Occasional Presenter to the local Rotary, Historical Society and Garden Clubs about the LWGA vineyards and history of winemaking and grape growing here; frequent donator of wine and wine tastings to local schools, hospitals and other charities and non-profits.   

Personal: Our Construction firm, Sausal Corporation builds schools, fire stations and public buildings throughout NO. CA; our Son Josh just took over last year as President.  Successful and thriving Los Arabis Vineyard Pinot Noir (1500 vines in Lafayette) planted in 1999 and commercially sold throughout Lamorinda. 

Tim Wedlake                                     

I have served as the Treasurer for LWGA since 2006, and would like to continue for another term.

During that time I have collected dues, maintained the books of account, handled the checking account, dealt with tax filings, and provided financial reports.

I am committed to the long-term success of LWGA, in particular in providing educational and interesting experiences for members, and in leveraging our AVA status for the good of the organization and the community.

Thank you for your consideration and vote.