Duluth Superior Magazine / February 2012 / February In The Vineyard

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February In The Vineyard

February is an interesting time at a winery, filled with activity, excitement, and anticipation. Last year’s harvest is in the barrel or the bottle, and thoughts turn to the upcoming year, and the universal hope for an abundant and high-quality harvest. If the vintner’s hopes are to be fulfilled, all attention must first be on the vines.

In the annually-renewed story of the vine, February isn’t one of the most romantic months, but it is one of the most important. During the winter months of January and February, pruning the vineyards becomes the primary task at the winery. A good haircut readies the vines for fruit production during the coming spring and summer months.

Pruning, the process of cutting back the vine growth from the previous year, also determines how many buds will bloom in the spring, ultimately controlling how many grape clusters will develop. This is critical because, as a general rule for the vintner aspiring to produce high quality wine, lower yields will produce higher quality wines.

Once pruning has been completed, the newly trimmed-and-orderly array of vines stands ready to face the hazards of spring. Assuming the vine escapes the perils of sudden frost and battering hail storms, it will soon produce the buds of the new season’s harvest. Buds will become leaves and canes, and in May or June, flowers. Flowers will develop into grape clusters, and the race is on to the harvest, about one hundred days in the future.

The spring and summer months get all the outside attention, but they build on the foundation laid in sleepy February.

And so it goes with the yearly cycle of the vine. The quality of the 2009 vintage reds and the 2010 vintage whites that are currently available was determined in large part by the previous February’s pruning and the weather related perils the vines faced. While the snow is falling upon the north shore of Minnesota, workers in California are busy readying the vineyards for yet another vintage. Actually it is kind of cozy and romantic, isn’t it?

Warm up your February with these three recommendations, and remember the journey the vines took to get there. Cheers.

 

Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Napa Valley, CA  ($$)
February of 2009 was a very wet month, followed by a cool summer and mild harvest. This is a great value in Napa Valley Cabernet with complex flavors of blackberry, cherry, cassis, and vanilla. Winemaker Alex Cose has produced another winner.

Forefront Pinot Noir 2010, California  ($$)
Produced with fruit sourced from some of California’s most important appellations, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Sonoma County. This new release is quite complex and richly textured with flavors of cherry, black fruits, and baking spice balanced nicely by aging in 60 gallon oak barrels.

Valley of the Moon Un-oaked Chardonnay 2010, Russian River, CA  ($$)
This is a fresh vibrant wine with classic Russian River characteristics of tangerine, key lime pie, and mineral. The long 2010 growing season in the Russian River Valley allowed for the development of interesting and complex flavors.