The grapes for the 2014 vintage are being harvested, slowly, as I type this. It's been a pretty good year and people that I've spoken to are generally optimistic about the prospects for 2014. In fact, it could be the one we've been waiting for. I should start this whole thing but saying that no winery will …
Category: Wine Country Seasons
I don’t want to be a pessimist, but…
The weather this summer has been a basket press of awesome, until recently. I've driven my motorcycle to work from mid June straight through to the beginning of September with only one exception. In the 6 years that I've lived here now, I've had at least 3 sets of windshield wiper blades disintegrate because of …
Fall in Wine Country – 2010 Recap
The final stages of the vineyard's activities for the season happens in the fall. All the winery's work for the year culminates in the multitude of decisions that must be made daily at this time of year. When to harvest the Pinot Noir? What are the sugar levels of the Chardonnay? How low are the …
September 2010 – Almost there
It's getting so close you can feel it. Grapes are being tested daily for sugar levels and tasted to see how they are coming along. It's the last time before crush to get any equipment fixed, get tanks ready, and make space for the new grapes for the 2010 vintage once they are picked. Winery …
August 2010 – Chillin’ in the Heat
August is hurry up and wait time in the wineries and vineyards. The grapes are almost to their full size but haven't turned colour yet. Red, pink and white grapes are all still green. Until the sugars start to push them into their proper ripe colouring, they will stay green. Each grape variety changes its colour …
July 2010 – It’s easy being green
Things are way greener now as the summer has finally kicked into gear. The summertime sunlight and heat are now helping those vines to grow greener and wilder. The grapes are starting to get bigger and are developping slowly. My 5 year-old son came along with me and helped take some photos in the middle …
June 2010 – Baby grapes
June is when things start happening and the vines start getting busy. New shoots are growing fast. What were once deserted rows of twisted brown and grey wood clinging to wires are now bristling with freshly grown leaves, ready to take in all the sunshine. It is from the sun that the sugar comes and …
May 2010 – Shoots and Leaves
The weather has really warmed up a lot now in wine country and in Okanagan Falls the vines are showing some action. Shoots and young leaves are starting to grow and soak up the sunlight as they start providing the vine with energy to build fruit and vegetation. I worked at a winery that spent …
April 2010 – Spring is springing
In the Okanagan, spring isn't a gradual progression of seasonal change that it is in other places. One day it's -2 at night and then 25 and sunny the next day. Someone just flips a switch and poof, the temperature goes up, the bareque gets cleaned (I wish) and then you find yourself having the …
Sleeping Vines – March 2010
Lately I've been ranting on about this, that, or the other and I thought that I would change it up a little this time and maybe start with something that involves more photos. I used to work as a portrait photographer, which actually killed my love of photography for a long time, but I'm starting …