The Winter Vineyard

This winter has been one of the few winters where we have maintained snowcover on the ground. This is a good insulator for both the roots and the graft union of the plant.
Winter is an important season for grapevines. During the winter months, the grapevines are in a deep dormancy caused by internal factors and later environmental factors. Dormancy is basically a rest period for the plant following the work it has had to do to produce fruit during the growing season.
When we leave the fruit for icewine, the vine does not go into a true dormancy. It only goes into dormancy after the fruit has been removed.
We show a photo of our horses feeding on hay. We are finding that leftover alfalfa in the hay is consumed by rabbits. We don’t mind this as it keeps the rabbits from feeding on the tender bark of the grapevines.
Also shown is the vineyard in the background. The white covering on part of it is netting on the Cabernet icewine grapes. These were harvested this past December. The netting will be removed once the snow is melted.