Tag Archive for: Vineyard

Harvest 2023

time to pick the chardonnay grapes!

July 9, 2023

The first harvest is set!  We will pick the chardonnay grapes on Monday morning, July 17 starting at 6:30 am.

Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. We’ll provide everything else you need. We will start bright and early at sunrise but most folks come about 7am or later and go until all the grapes are picked, usually about 9 or 10 am.

After harvest in the morning, our grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed and prepared for fermentation at the winery. Feel free to come by our location at 841 N Main St, Salado and see the grapes start their journey to a bottle of wine.

RSVPs/Tickets are not required, but if you register, then we have an easy way to contact you if anything changes. Check out facebook page if there is unexpected weather or updates.

Pets must be leashed. There are cows, horses, and donkeys in adjacent fields and they will bite dogs.

We have been growing grapes since 2005! The vineyard is located at 21724 Hill Rd, Salado, TX 76571.  This venue is only a vineyard, it is generally closed to the public except during harvest. This location does not sell or serve wine.  For more information call (254) 947-8011, or visit Salado Winery, 841 N Main ST, Salado TX, 12 pm -6 pm.

Harvest events are published on our eventbrite page for the vineyard and updates are published on our facebook page

Bird Netting 2023

One thing we have struggled with over the last few years is birds!  I used to think there were birds who ate bugs and birds who ate seeds and that I would only have to worry about a few species who like grapes, but it turns out almost every bird eats grapes!  Well, I guess I’ve never seen raptors or vultures swoop down and grab a snack, but I have definitely seen all other birds grab a grapes or worse, stab a grape to get to the seed.  One time I posted on social media a cute picture of a little bird nest with sweet eggs and pretty grapes in the background.  Someone responded with, “oh let them be, they’ll only eat a few grapes…”.  NO, they don’t eat a few grapes.  First the mockingbirds show up, then the cardinals.  When the rest of the birds in the neighborhood see the cardinals and mockingbirds, then they all descend.

So we have been netting the vineyard for years.  Unfortunately, the method we used in the past wasn’t working out anymore.  The netting was now being shipped on cardboard tubes that were too small to fit our custom net applicator.  Plus the netting was not a perfect solution.  The birds hung on the nets and poked the grapes through the netting.  So only grapes in the interior were actually safe. On top of that, the netting was disposable, but that didn’t seem very regenerative and clearly that’s the buzzword of the day.  (Make sure you have a cynical tone of voice when reading the word ‘regenerative’)

I browsed the options at the TWGGA trade show.  I studied pictures and I started thinking about how last summer, the bees & wasps were bothering folks even in the dark when we started harvest at 5 am.  Hmmmm, could we really protect the fruit from the wasps?

I hemmed and hawed and looked at the endless internet. I was intrigued about the bee netting, but it is expensive! This blog post convinced me I needed to make an experiment. Finally, I ordered  a roll of bee netting from Orchard Valley Supply.

I have been so pleased!  I ordered one roll and saw immediately that it stopped the bugs.  There happened to be a sale, so a couple days after applying the first roll, I ordered 3 more rolls.  This was enough to cover about 40% of the vineyard.  I will order more next year.  The rolls and shipping are relatively expensive, but these nets look like they will last a long time.  Now I just have to figure out where to store the nets in the off season.

netting is shipped in a roll and easy to roll out

netting is 17′ x 300′

side view

one way I might secure the bottoms

a frog is deterred by the bee netting!

sorry charlie! you’re not getting in

no grapes for you!

yet another grasshopper trying to find some food

even this tiny snail didn’t find a way in

vineyard panorama

bird sitting on the netting and can’t get grapes

End of roll-will pack it up this way after harvest

this picture shows how I secured the sides at the end posts

I’m pretty happy with my new netting!

June 2023

Well June 2023 was certainly hot!  Good thing we had lots of rain in May.  The grapes are looking good and by the end of June we are seeing veraison starting.  Veraison is the fancy word for changing color.  The grapes no longer grow bigger and at this point we sort of coast until harvest.  Stay tuned as we will set the date for chardonnay harvest soon!

beginning of veraison

Spring Pruning 2023

Spring has sprung!

cabernet sauvignon shoot in early spring

Cabernet Sauvignon
on March 27, 2023

And you know what? It has already been a roller coaster my friends!  Eeek!

First of all, the grapevines started growing about 2 weeks earlier than is normal.  We hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the 3rd week of February, so the grapevines took that as their signal to GROW!  Bud break began, but the weather was too hot and the grapevines showed evidence of “cupping” from the heat and the warm wind.  The leaves were malformed and the vines looked terrible.

After a couple weeks, they outgrew the first missteps, but then we had a freeze nearby on the morning of March 19th. Many of my friends’ vineyards in the area suffered widespread freeze damage.  🙁

But now here we are, already a month of growth in the chardonnay, and the outlook is improving.  Please keep your fingers crossed!

This vineyard was planted in 2005 and has produced over 50 tons of grapes since then.

Harvest is Saturday AUG 21, 2021

Make your Instagram friends super jealous! Come pick grapes with us at the vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX! You can even eat some straight from the vine! Harvest is family friendly. Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. If you prefer, wear […]

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Chardonnay + Sangiovese Harvest 2018

Saturday, July 28, 7:00 am

21724 Hill Road, Salado (I-35 exit 275, head east on Hill Road, look for vineyard on the right)

Make your Instagram friends super jealous! Come pick grapes with us at the vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX! You can even eat some straight from the vine! Harvest is family friendly. Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. We’ll provide everything else you need. We will start bright and early at 7am and go until all the grapes are picked.

Hecho en Queso will be at the vineyard offereing breakfast tacos for sale.

After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. Our grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using a machine then pressed and prepared for fermentation.

This will be the first half of the 2018 harvest at our vineyard.  The cabernet sauvignon + merlot harvest will be scheduled in August.

 

Macarons + Salado Winery = sweet spring fun!

Friday, April 27th from 7pm-8pm

Image may contain: food

Y’all are invited to join in on this yummy goodness!

Macarons by Maison de Macarons paired with wines made by Salado Winery.

First, show up and check in by 7 pm

Second, sit back and enjoy the presentation by the macaron baker and the wine maker, both local gals who live in Central Texas and share a passion for all things French.

Third, nibble and sip your way through the pairings

Ahhh! those little pretty desserts. Did you know they are naturally gluten free? What a coincidence, so is wine! As if anyone ever needed an excuse to enjoy their Friday evening? Come on now, stop thinking about it. If you wait too long, someone else might buy your ticket….see you soon! A bientot!

Tickets- Eventbrite

following the wine and macaron tasting, stay and enjoy a glass of wine with your friends, or explore Salado RAW or Salado’s 4th Friday

TAGS

Things To Do In Salado, TX Class Food & Drink

 

 

Merlot + Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest 2017

SATURDAY, August 5, 2017

Come pick grapes with us at the vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX! You can even eat some straight from the vine! Harvest is family friendly. Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. We’ll provide everything else you need. We will start bright and early at 7am and go until all the grapes are picked….#Wineryboy has been picking grapes since he was 1!

After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. The grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using machines then prepared for fermentation. By late afternoon we will add the yeast and alcohol formation begins!

Invite your friends and follow the Merlot + Cab Harvest on Facebook

Hail in the Vineyard

leaf torn from hail

Texas grapegrowers pray often!  We’ve made it past late freezes here, but Mother Nature has another threat for us…

Texas storms can mean hail and we have seen some at our vineyard this spring.  This picture shows some minor damage that our vines suffered on April 10, 2017 in the mid-afternoon.  As you can see, the hail tore small bits of leaves, but luckily the grapes and grapevines did not sustain any damage.  We’ve got some vigorous vines and they will keep on growing just fine.

Some of our friends in the Texas High Plains were hit by hail recently as well.  Clearly the storm that hit them was much more severe than ours!

 

Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest 2016

One last chance this year to harvest grapes! Our Cabernet Sauvignon harvest will be Saturday, September 3.

How to Get There
The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX, 76571. Exit 279 I-35 and we’re just a quarter mile up Hill Road on the east side of I-35. The vineyard is on the right side of Hill Road. You’ll see the vines from the road!

What to Bring
We will start bright and early at 7 am and go until all the grapes are picked, usually before noon. Wear comfortable, cool clothing. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and lots of water to start with. We’ll provide everything else you need, including more cold water. If you have a favorite pair of pruners feel free to bring them, but we’ll have plenty for you. We recommend tennis shoes because sometimes there is stinging nettle or a hidden ant mound but you can wear sandals if you like. Sometimes folks like to wear light cotton gloves to protect your manicure or help prevent wasp stings, but there are no thorns on grape vines. Harvest is family friendly, so feel free to bring the kiddos…#Wineryboy has been picking grapes since he was 1!

The After Party
After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. The grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using a machine then prepared for fermentation.

RSVP
If you’re coming, text your RSVP to 254.466.5813 or RSVP on Facebook.

FOOD!
Our friends at Hecho en Queso will be out at the vineyard until 10:30 or 11 the morning of Cab Sauv harvest, September 3. They’ll be serving up breakfast tacos and more, so make sure to come ready to eat!