Pennies from Heaven.
Well, not quite. Mother Nature hasn’t blessed us with many pennies (aka rain) this year. Here’s the problem with that: With warm weather, bud break is upon us. New shoot growth will emerge from the buds formed last year and that new growth will need nutrients and water from the soil. Since it hasn’t rained, the soils are drier than expected.
So, what do we do, especially when California is going through a drought? For starters, we water less, beginning with other areas of the winery. Over the last year we’ve cut our water usage for landscaping in half. As sustainably as possible, we are irrigating the vines to the point of field capacity so the roots will have the opportunity to grow and absorb water for the green shoots soon to emerge.
This is just something we winemakers need to be prepared for. Not every year is ideal – no rain, too much rain, polar vortexes, zombie apocalypses, mass hysteria!…you get the picture. Despite it all, though, we’re equipped to ensure that every bottle of wine that comes out of Ponte is ideal.
Know what else no rain means? That it’s an awesome time to come and visit us. See you soon.
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