Vineyard May 2023
The vineyard is doing well. Plenty of rain this month has really made the vines happy.
caberenet sauvingon looking good
grape growing adventures at Salado Vineyard
Vineyard–late April
The vineyard is in full bloom! I always tell folks that grapes don’t have exciting blooms like cherry trees or peach trees, but grapes still are fruit and they start with a bloom.
We received another inch of rain last week and the vineyard has gone crazy with new growth.
More rain in the forecast, praying that the hail and storms do not damage the vineyard.
look at these babies!
Vineyard mid-April 2023
Wow! Nothing like 2 inches of rain to make the grapevines grow.
The chardonnay vines are beginning to bloom. Wine grape blossoms are nothing like beautiful cherry blossoms. If you look very closely though, you can identify the pistil which is located in the center of the flower and shaped like a bowling ball. The pistil is made up of three parts: the stigma, style, and ovary. That is surrounded by anthers and filaments. The pollen develops on the anther. Wine grapes are self-pollinating, so they don’t need the help of insects to spread the pollen.
I hope you enjoy my picture!
chardonnay flowers before forming fruit
Spring Pruning 2023
Spring has sprung!
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.
New Buds Blooming
Spring is officially here and we have new fruit coming in as the season gets warmer.
Another harvest season is just around the corner in August! Let the count down begin.
When is Harvest 2021?
HARVEST UPDATE:
As I mentioned before, the February freeze has greatly reduced the amount of chardonnay grapes (Night Flight) and sangiovese (Rootin’ Tootin’). There will not be any public harvests for those grapes as there are not enough to pick.
The good news? The cabernet sauvignon (which is used in Diamond Back) is extra happy this year! It is a little too early to guess exactly when it will be ready, but most likely we will pick it during a Saturday in August. PROBABLY August 21st? Check back here in August and see which Saturday it will be.
You can RSVP on eventbrite here or follow our facebook event.
Scheduling harvest is a very tough decision and there is much thought that goes into it. I wrote a blog post here about it.
Harvest 2020
Come pick grapes with us at the vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado! OR just pose like you are picking grapes! Harvest as much or as little as you enjoy. 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. Since it is 2020, wear your favorite face-mask and spread out in the vineyard. 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 10 or 11 am.
After harvest in the morning. Our grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed and prepared for fermentation at the winery.
RSVPs/Tickets are not required, but check out facebook page if there is unexpected weather or updates. https://www.facebook.com/SaladoWinery or register at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/salado-winery-vineyard-30747395620
Salado Winery Merlot and Sangiovese Harvest
***YES! let’s do this!!! We will pick 3 rows of merlot and 2 rows sangiovese*****
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 might be at the vineyard offering breakfast for sale 🙂 We will clarify as the date gets closer!
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.
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.
Top 10 Podcasts at Salado Winery Vineyard
what’s your favorite podcast? Here are mine…
Working in the vineyard can be hard work, repetitive and a bit boring. How do I pass survive the heat? I listen to podcasts, lots and lots of podcasts. #Wineryboy has joined me in listening to podcasts as well, so I thought I would share with you what the TOP 10 PODCASTS of SALADO WINERY VINEYARD are:
10. Texas TribCast gotta keep track of my state politics!
9. Invisibilia I enjoy hearing about all the tricks my brain can play on me and when Invisibilia isn’t available, I listen to Hidden Brain
8. Snap Judgement there’s nothing like a great story to pass the time! Check out one of my favorite recent episodes, Lives on Atlas Peak, amazing sound design that brought me back to my previous job as an army helicopter pilot.
7. Jordan Harbinger I used to listen to “Art of Charm” and was quite confused back in February 2018 when Jordan’s voice changed, but then a few weeks later I realized he had moved shows and I’m loving this new show even more. Builds on all the leadership I was taught in the US Army and through my MBA, mostly how to be a better person.
6. News in Slow Italian & News in Slow French by NewsInSlow.Com in my earlier days I was semi-literate in both French and Italian. It does good for the imagination to walk around a vineyard listening to anything in French or Italian, but I gotta warn you, the stories about POTUS don’t get more romantic just because they’re in a romance launguage!
5. Brains On! and Wow in the World when #Wineryboy is with me, this is what we listen to and we both learn so much about science, technology and so much more.
4. Unladylike feminists rule in our vineyard!
3. Splendid Table gotta keep up with the foodies
2. Inside Winemaking my professional development as a winemaker
1. One Bad Mother it’s about parenting and it saved my life! It is like having a best friend in your ear.
I hope you find something new on my list, even more, I hope you send me some new suggestions 🙂