A Summer To Treasure

Tuesday, Sep 09th, 2014

If I’m guilty of anything during the busy build-up to harvest, it’s failing to take the time to appreciate the wonderful summer we’ve just had welcoming so many visitors to our barn.  I tend to spend these days with blinders on, dutifully focused on protecting my delicate grapes from birds, fruit flies, rot and botrytis.  A little rosy reflection always helps keep my chin up.

I never would have fathomed that a barn jam-packed with 750 cases of wine could be reduced to what I see today, a mere four months from the initial release in May.  Every one of our visitors has contributed to this case reduction – one bottle, one case at a time.  I was touched this year by the number of fellow winemakers and industry personnel who took time out of their busy schedules to stop by and purchase our wine.  This is a favour I vow to repay very soon!

It is through the tireless hosting efforts of Wilma, Tracy and Katie that we’ve somehow been able to sell nearly every hand-numbered, hand-labeled bottle of Five Rows wine that was bottled and waxed this Spring.   Selling out of wines is always a sad time despite what you might think.  A common refrain we hear is that this is a “good” problem, but I would argue that there is no such thing as a “good” problem.  Having no wine to offer those who’ve traveled far and wide to locate our barn, only to discover we are sold out of their treasured new find is excruciating for visitor and host alike.

This situation always provokes a sinking feeling, as it was never my intention to make a wine that became more “sought after” than actually bought and enjoyed.  The goal every year is to make memorable wines, but not for the wrong reason.  Do we need to produce more Sauv Blanc?  Would that make more people happy?  Perhaps, but maybe not…

The logistics of producing more wine the way we currently go about it (i.e. one guy doing all the tractor work and one guy doing all the winemaking)  is not conducive to a dramatic increase in volume.  Moreover, I’m an intense creature of habit (and by habit I mean stubborn and superstitious), so making a change to a formula that works is not something I’m comfortable with.  Change is my kryptonite.

As I’ve written in the past, it is the reliable patronage and warm compliments from our friends and supporters that drive my passion for making wine.  For these people we will gladly endeavor to keep the Five Rows experience a familiar one.

I’m happy to report that we still do have a limited quantity of 2011 Pinot Noir available, so please join us for a chat and taste over the exciting months of harvest.   Don’t let the bird bangers scare you away!

Rainy Day Winemaker

Monday, Jul 07th, 2014

 

It occurs to me, as I hit a few golf balls into my Cabernet Sauvignon early on this Sunday morning, that we’ve evolved into a rather unconventional winery.  I don’t know what triggered this random thought – perhaps the vision of a Winemaker more intent on grooving a sand wedge than racking barrels…warped priorities indeed.

Admittedly, I’ve morphed into a “rainy day” Winemaker of sorts, as there are just too many jobs to do in the vineyard when the sun is shining and field conditions are ideal.  It is on those rainy days when I employ some techniques that most would consider uncommon (certainly not smart) oenological practice.

I’ve learned the hard way that gravity-siphoning Syrah, on a tipsy ladder into two barrels simultaneously, will most assuredly lead to a violent Syrah volcano that is not discriminate about where it splatters.  This is especially problematic when your winery space is also a retail store lined with finished packages.  Those “specially stained”, collector’s edition bottles are now reserved exclusively for family and friends.

The eccentricities do not end there.  I’m not sure how many Winemakers must arrange daily tasks around their mother’s laundry schedule, but I’m willing to bet there are only a few of us.  You see, water pressure is of the utmost importance in cleaning both tartrate-laden oak barrels and Wilma’s linens.  Despite these limitations, the wines get made and our whites are still bright.

Those visiting our barn on weekdays can attest that it doubles as a very large dog house.  A stickler to routine, my days are planned around letting my dogs out at a quiet time when they won’t bother our guests.  I treasure these few moments of leisure and serenity…

That is until my one-eyed King Charles Cavalier x Chihuahua, named Bella, becomes seemingly possessed by a Tasmanian Devil.  It usually begins with her running really fast in large circles (one-eyed dogs tend to do this) eventually setting out on a wild foray into the vineyard despite my attempts at verbal restraint.  Onlookers sit back and enjoy the spectacle, often marveling, “Look at her go!”  And go she does.  I’d like to say that I play it cool and never get sucked into chasing her…but that would be a lie.  Picture Forrest Gump chasing a weasel.

A more fitting winery mascot would be hard to find.

Bella

 

Overwhelming Response

Saturday, May 17th, 2014

I’m overwhelmed at the response we’ve received to our new wines and the number of keen visitors we’ve entertained over the last couple of weeks!  It is all we can do to write and apply labels fast enough to keep up.

I’ve become accustomed to putting off my vineyard work on weekends in May to stick around the barn and help the girls with tastings.  I must admit that I secretly enjoy this, as it allows me to overhear all the interesting and thoughtful reviews of my wines.  There is always a gut-wrenching fear belying my calm facade that these wines won’t live up to their predecessors.  You would think that after nine vintages of wrenching guts I might have learned to trust my palate by now, but it always takes a few satisfied customers to reassure me.

That is all part of what makes this time of year is so exciting, from the inbox full of pre-orders to the smiling faces of return visitors parading through the barn door.  The fact that people would think enough of our wines to pre-order them on spec, without even trying them first, is the ultimate in trust.  I treasure this trust as much as any award or five star review we’ve ever received.  The “pre-order” is my gold medal.

With that trust comes the pressure not to disappoint.  This challenge drives what I do in the vineyard every summer.  In the back of my mind is the knowledge that this vine I’m currently thinning will produce fruit to make a wine that someone may already have dibs on for next year.  On one hand it’s a very reassuring thought, but it also means there isn’t much room for error!

As the first buds of 2014 start to reveal themselves one precious leaf at a time, I confidently venture out to the vineyard and strive to earn more trust.

 

 

 

The First Official Jacket Hanging of 2014

Monday, Mar 10th, 2014

 

It’s official. March 10, 2014 marked the first outdoor workday of the year that I was compelled to take off my jacket and hang it over an endpost in a symbolic act of optimism.  I don’t know that I’ve ever enjoyed a day of pruning (and fetching) this much.  I guess it takes a long, cold winter to make a 7 degree March afternoon feel so heavenly.

Lucy will miss the snow.

 

 

Fighting The Winter Blahs

Friday, Feb 07th, 2014

 

It’s hard to know just how many buds and trunks have succumbed to one the harshest winters of their lifetime.   Although I prefer not to entertain these thoughts – they can’t be ignored.

Pruning decisions are based on how many buds are estimated to be alive on a given vine.  The only way to really calculate this number is to take a cane sample, cut open the primary buds and count how many still appear viable.  This gives us a rough percentage that we can take into account when fashioning the vine for next season.

The tricky part is that each variety has a different sensitivity to extreme cold.  On our farm the most sensitive varietals happen to be two of our more popular wines: Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah.  For this reason I get a little panicky at the prospect of little or no crop in these vineyards!

Preliminary counts don’t look great.  We’ve experienced lows of -21C and most all varietals show some sign of bud mortality.  Hearty varietals like Cab Sauv are in the 60-70% alive range, while the Sauv Blanc and Syrah are more in the 30-40% range…and it’s only the beginning of February.

Unfortunately, bud viability is not the only hurdle.  The vascular tissue in the trunk of the vine is also susceptible to damage in these conditions.  If the trunk is dead – the amount of viable buds obviously becomes a moot point.  Cruelly, trunk death is usually not noticeable until the buds emerge like gangbusters only to slowly whither and die along with your false hopes.

The positive I’ve been able to take away from this winter is a greater appreciation for the wines I currently have in barrel and tank.  Previous mild winters have spoiled me into taking a “full barn” for granted.  Growing sensitive Vinifera grapes in Niagara should never be considered a sure bet.  It will take patience and hard work, but we will recover from this winter like we did in 2004-2005.

A Snow Day to Reflect

Monday, Dec 16th, 2013

As massive black clouds of starlings swirl ominously overhead, contrasting against the pure white snow, I retire to my cosy barn to reflect on the year 2013.  I fear these flocks no more because the barrels and tanks are full, finally put to bed after what seemed like an oddly long growing season.  The apparent quality of these young wines fills me with hope.

I won’t lie – there were certainly moments of doubt, well chronicled (if not over-dramatized) in previous entires of this blog.  It became increasingly frustrating as we waited and waited for the fields to dry out and for eventual flavour concentration in our late-ripening varietals (Riesling, Cab Sauv and Syrah). Thankfully, frustration can sometimes yield immense satisfaction.  This was reflected in the purple toothed grin I saw on my Dad’s face while tasting the freshly squeezed Cabernet Sauvignon directly from the press tray,  “You could bottle this and drink it right now!”, he exclaimed.  Easy now Pops.

Winter allows for the completion of some jobs that I treasure most as a Winemaker.  A recent day spent racking the 2013 whites filled the barn with the most splendid aromas – I was in Sauv Blanc heaven!  Equally excitng were the blending trials featuring the soon to be bottled 2011 reds.  As early blends begin to take shape, I’m becoming more convinced that the 2011 vintage has a chance to be one our strongest across the board.  It rivals 2010 in aromatic intensity and is perhaps more approachable even at this early stage.  Easy now Son.

As we enter the winter months and start to sharpen up the pruners, we’ve decided to close the barn for a couple of months to catch our breath.  This will allow me plenty of time to get the new wines ready to bottle in the spring.  I wish to thank all who have visited over the past year and contributed to our most successful summer to date.  It’s hard to believe our barn has been open for five years now and I look forward to more great visits and more new faces enjoying Five Rows wines in the year to come.

A couple of traditional events that we are planning for the winter are a Winemaker’s Dinner at Treadwell’s and Cuvée 2014.  Details for these events will follow in future posts.  Happy Holidays to all!

The Rains of 2013

Saturday, Oct 19th, 2013

It is not the most glamorous time to be a grape grower.  I’m reminded of this in the midst of a downpour, as I trudge through shin deep mud on my way to cut rotten bunches out of barely ripe Riesling.  I pull my hood tight and turn on my radio headphones in hopes of a distraction from the gloom.  “There will likely be snow next week,” the announcer says as I slop past many tons of yet to be harvested Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.  Icewine anyone?

It’s been that kind of year.  As farmers we’re quite accustomed to being at the mercy of mother nature, and have in fact been spoiled by six consecutive years of decent growing conditions – with a couple of real beauties sprinkled in!  It’s rare in any type of farming to have more than a few good years in row.  Hence, you’re never as rich as your best year and you’re never as poor as your worst.

At times like this it’s important to remember that you can only do everything in your power to give yourself the chance to produce premium fruit.  I’m confident we’ve done just that and I still believe it a possibility to craft great wines from these grapes, albeit with less room for error.

My parents remind me of the “old days” when wet vintages seemed to be a little more common.  Tales of stuck harvesters and trucks  – and fields so saturated with water that the only choice was to hand pick and hand load (no tractor!) whole vineyard blocks thick with fruit.  It stands to reason that in wet years the crop is usually much heavier and far more difficult to harvest.

I finally get to Jean’s Block and in the time it takes me to knock the clods of mud off my boots, the rain abruptly stops.  Halfway down the first row I fail to discover as many rotten clusters as I had anticipated and the sun even threatens to peek out of the clouds.  As I approach the old pear tree hill that is now Ravine Vineyard I start to smell the most amazing aromas coming from atop the hill.  I’m reminded of the hearty lunches that we traditionally enjoy on those cold harvest days.  With that, the glamour returns.

Pre-Harvest Jitters

Saturday, Aug 24th, 2013

What a curious growing season it has been to this point.  I guess it really shouldn’t be a surpirse given that this year ends in “13”.  Consistently cool and wet for the most part, but strangely no signs of disease pressure to speak of (knock on wood).  Then we are blessed with a few weeks of ideal ripening conditions precisely when we need it at veraison.  All varietals, save Cabernet Franc, are looking to be right on schedule.

The Cab Franc are likely lagging behind due to their prodigious uptake of water.  The spring/summer rains have left our vines brimming with growth – even many lateral shoots are bearing clusters of fruit!  The last couple of months have been spent paring back these layers of green growth in an effort to expose the vulnerable fruit.  The Cab Franc vines put so much energy and resource into this shoot growth that the fruit will take longer to enter and complete the ripening process.  It doesn’t help that our Cab Franc vines are relatively young and full of vim and vigour!

The task of thinning shoots and clusters has been very time consuming this season, but I can finally start to make out the post at the end of this long grape row.  As I complete each row, my Dad follows behind to hang the protective bird netting.  I must say that the sight of these nets brings me the ultimate in satisfaction.  They represent the preservation of  year’s worth of hard work and signify the end of my duties in that block until we harvest.

My mind can now shift to the preparation of tanks, barrels, crushers, presses and the like.  It’s also the time to determine which yeasts and fermentation aids I will employ to best coax out the Terroir in my 2013 wines.  The new supplier catalogues we receive each year put me in mind of the old Sears Christmas Wish Book I always looked so forward to as a child.  My eyes light up as I flip through page after page of new “toys”, each seeming to promise more flavours and aromas than the next.  I find it fascinating to think of the amount of research that has gone into refining the simple process of fermentation.  We all have our “go to” yeasts that we swear by, but I’m usually tempted to try something new every year – even if it’s just in a single tank or barrel.

If I close my eyes I can almost smell those beautiful fermenting tanks already!

Of Buds and Blue Eggs

Tuesday, May 07th, 2013

 

When setting out for a morning of work in the vineyard, I never know what I might encounter.  I’ve witnessed deer bounding gracefully right between our trellis wires and lone coyotes sauntering about, slyly portraying ignorance yet fully aware of my presence.

More often than not I encounter birds.  From majestic Hawks and rare Bluebirds to annoying Starlings – it runs the gamut.  I especially look forward to spring, when new life in the vineyard is not limited emerging buds and dandelions.  This past week, while tying down canes of Pinot Noir (specifically Row #7 in the Old Block),  I was fascinated as I closed in on one particular vine.

A curious place for a nest

Cautiously creeping closer, it became evident that a determined Robin had chosen one of my oldest Pinot vines as the perfect place to raise its family.  I recognized the irony in this nest full of future grape-pecking Robins staring me in the face, but I couldn’t bring myself to relocate the cosy looking abode.  Instead, I tied down the canes and snapped a few quick pictures as mama Robin chirped at me rather aggressively from two rows away.

Five Rows, Four Eggs

Future Adversaries

This is actually a common vineyard occurrence.  The most interesting discoveries are the camouflaged Kildeer nests dotting the ground between grapevines.  Mother Killdeers are seemingly fearless.  As you approach the nest she will frantically charge at you, feigning a broken wing in an effort to seem more vulnerable to the perceived predator.  In the ultimate act of altruism the mother will then attempt to lead you in the opposite direction of her nest, all the while fanning her “broken” wing.  I always get a kick out of this evolutionary trait and try to vacate the area as quickly as possible.  Inevitably, I must approach the nest as work continues in the adjacent row and the whole dance starts again.

My mind flashes to a vision of yours truly, arms flailing and yelling wildly, as Howie approaches one of my dogs on the tractor.  He is blissfully unaware, and they are all too eager to greet him.  Finally, I get his attention and danger is averted.  My inner Kildeer is satisfied.

New Year, New Sign

Thursday, Dec 27th, 2012

 

I feel it fitting, in this my 100th blog entry, to festively announce the erection of a new Five Rows roadside sign.

I can hear you all in unison: “Well, it’s about time!”

However, it is not without some sentimental regret that we retire our old red sandwich board.  At various times it was stolen, returned, run over, blown over, repainted, amusingly observed by Beppi and cursed by all those who didn’t see it on first pass.  A useful (if not reliable) sign it was.

As is evident in the following photographic essay, the beautiful new sign was hung with typical Five Rows grace and ingenuity.  I ask anyone working for the Ontario Workplace Safety Insurance Board to kindly avert your eyes.  A special thanks to Barry Imber for his fine craftmanship.

 

I wish you all a Happy New Year and invite you to join us for our third annual Treadwell’s Winemaker Dinner on January 26th, 2013.   Wine pairing details coming soon!