Wind in the vineyard

You don’t have to be involved with the vineyard business to notice this has been another windy year so far. So what does the wind do to the grapevines?

Wind can be our friend during the summer, when it cools off the day’s heat, but this time of year during our bloom it can be our foe. We are always concerned during the flowering season (which we are in right now) with any rain, high winds, hail or high heat. There is always a concern that these acts of nature can disrupt the flowering process.

Though it is too early to tell, the strong winds we have experienced lately have likely not caused any lasting problems. On the other hand the winds have broken off some canes and made a mess of our canopy by blowing the shoots out of their protective wires, making more work for all of us.

We have always said that farming is like working in an office without any walls or a roof and if you can imagine a big wind storm ripping through your office while you are sorting papers, that’s what we have been dealing with for the past few weeks.

Every year it seems that there is always an extreme in the vineyards. Some years it’s too many insects, more birds than usual during harvest, a cold summer, too hot of summer, rain during bloom, a lot of frost incidents, or something to complain about. So this year, It’s the wind, but we will take that over all the above.

So in a nutshell the high winds have created some problems, but it could be worse. Our wine glass is half full, not half empty.

David Cook owns and operates Cook Vineyard Management and hosts “In the Vine Country” on KSVY 91.3 FM every Tuesday at 4 p.m. To learn more about the world of viticulture, contact him at 707.490.8921 or cvmgrapes.com.