Vineyard Falcon Kite

Once the grapes begin to ripen in the vineyard, we aren’t the only ones that get excited. The birds know it too, and they’re not waiting for a perfect combination of sugars and acidity to ferment into age-worthy wines. In those vineyards with the most issues with birds, we often net the fruit-baring area/zone of the vines. In this case, we also installed a falcon kite which soars above the vines with wind to ward off hungry beaks.

Nets

Note - this post was originally published 8.07.2014

The grapes have undergone veraison – the onset of ripening when the color of the berries (grapes) change color. Until now both the red and white varieties have been green. Literally.

In some of the vineyards we take care of, we’ve had to net the vines against local birds who have also noticed the ripening fruit.

Vineyards: Pest Management

Note - this post was originally published 2/19/2014.

Congrats to Francisco!  He is now a licensed private applicator for pesticides.  Looking for someone to employ to take care of your vineyards and/or wine?  Look no further.  Awesome career development and good for personal safety.  He can now apply pesticides and teach others about the safety precautions to take when working with pesticides.

There are many strategies for pest management in the vineyards.  At some point to protect the grapes though, vineyard owners (even the organically farmed ones) often choose to spray.  For example, they might spray a sulfur solution to prevent molds/powdery mildew after summer rains.