Clean Cultivation in the Vineyard, Replacing trunks, Bloom, New vines

 

This year we purchased an new toy for our tractor and started rototilling the row centers in the vineyard. We do this instead of mowing the grass that we previously had growing in the row centers. Bare ground between the rows can help with spring frosts slightly (the bare ground gives off heat) and the lack of weed competition will add vigour to the vines during the growing season. Later in the season we will let some of the grass grow back to make it easier to walk on when you pick your grapes.

The crop looks pretty good so far but I am still seeing a lot of trunk damage from previous years winter damage. Some of these damaged vines will have a lot of green growth but no fruit.

Bloom, in late June, is a beautiful and fragrant time of the year. The grape blossoms are not as strong smelling as other crops but more of a subtle scent. Every flower in the cluster produces a berry and the clusters are almost full size during bloom. Contrary to what many people think, I do not keep bees to pollinate the vines. The grapes are self-pollinating and I rarely see a honeybee during bloom.
Bloom Pictures ....

In July we continue adding more honey supers to allow for the summer crop of nectar. Harvest will start in late August.

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This picture shows 6 rows of new vines (concord & niagara) that were planted this spring. The blue tubes are "grow tubes', a 4 inch x 30 inch tube that the vine will grow in this season. It helps keep them from being eaten by the deer. They will have a crop in 2 - 3 years.

A wine war is pitting consumers -- who want wineries to ship directly to them -- against wine wholesalers, who are threatening consumers and wineries with jail time if they bypass the middleman!

 

The state of Michigan is working towards putting a ban on most Internet or mail-order wine sales to Michigan consumers.

The initiative comes on the heels of a May ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Michigan's old regulations, which permitted direct sales only by Michigan vintners.

The court said Michigan and other states with similar restrictions, could open trade to out-of-state wineries OR END THE PRACTICE ALTOGETHER.

This is what Michigan politicians are trying to do. They have been wined and dined by the greedy distributors and now are trying to push some bad legislation through.

This anti-competitive bill actually says that if a winery wants to sell their product on line - they have to first sell it to the distributor and then purchase it back.

There are 2 organizations with lots of information on this. I urge everyone to check these sites out and write your legislators.

 

freethegrapes.org

Free the Grapes! is a national, grassroots coalition of consumers and wineries who seek to remove restrictions in 24 states that still prohibit consumers from purchasing wines directly from out-of-state wineries.

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winecam.org

WineCAM Quote Of The Week:

"Michigan wineries and Michigan residents deserve a thorough review of the wine direct shipment issue, not a hasty 'solution' that will likely do more harm than good ...

The expression ‘haste makes waste’ could not be more appropriate here."

--- State Senator Michelle McManus
Response to House committee vote to ban all wine shipping
June 28, 2005
winecam.org

 

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We recently paid a visit to St. Julian Winery and ran into the president, David Braganini. We had a very short conversation with him regarding the recent Supreme Court Decision. He commented that there is still a lot of work to be done before there is real competitive retail wine sales on the Internet.

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We do not sell wine at Honeyflow Farm - Just grapes to home winemakers!

However, I would like to set up a page where you can purchase on-line many of the wines from the grape varieties we sell at our farm.

Purchase wines on line such as Niagara, Concord, Red Blends from St. Julian Winery in Michigan.

Purchase wines on line such as Cayuga, Delaware, Vignoles & Foch from Swedish Hill Winery in New York.

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Late Breaking Notice!

From Michigan Tourism Business

On June 28, Michigan's House Regulatory Reform Committee voted 5-1 on House Bill 4959 that will shut down ALL direct shipping of wine in Michigan. That is, to not just continue prohibiting shipments from out-of-state wineries, but to take the draconian step of prohibiting Michigan wineries from shipping to Michigan's adult consumers, a privilege that has worked successfully for thirty years. A similar piece of legislation, Senate Bill 0600, will also be voted on in the near future.
READ MORE ...

 

I like most of my white wines with a soft slightly sweet finish and usually like my red wines quite dry. Recently I had a red wine that I was not really happy with and sweetened it (in the bottle) slightly and it improved dramatically.

The whole problem revolves around the fact that any yeast in the wine will want to ferment out all the sugar and make a naturally dry wine.

I had some interest in purchasing a wine filter (and use it to filter out yeast cells) to allow a slightly sweeter wine and thought it would be a good idea to review sweetening techniques.

• High alcohol sweet wines. The easiest way to make a sweet wine is to use a high sugar juice. The yeast will ferment out most all of the sugar until the high alcohol (13-15%) kills the yeast, whatever sugar is left will sweeten the wine.

• Special Yeast. I like to use yeast like "Cote's de Blanc" which does not tolerate high alcohol. I make a wine of about 11% alcohol, let it stabilize and 6 months later, sweeten it, add sulphite and potassium sorbate.  This"usually" works.

• Filtering wines. Another way to make a stable sweet wine is to filter out the yeast cells either at the tail end of the fermentation or when it is dry and before the finally sugar addition to make it sweeter. Try sweetening with fresh grape juice or honey.

• Using artificial sweeteners. I have tried artificial sweeteners in the past and they have always left a bad aftertaste - But they have improved them now. Here is some info from the Winemakers Magazine people:  
• Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a natural sugar substitute and one that is gaining in popularity with home winemakers. I have certainly heard of people using it with great success as it seems to dissolve instantly if used in its powdered form. It also remains stable in solution, doesn’t cause “off” flavors and, as far as I know, is a non-fermentable compound, so no yeast or bacteria will be able to eat it and cause fizziness or sediment in the bottle. It seems to be used in levels around 50–150 mg per 750-mL bottle, depending on the level of sweetness desired. In fact, I’ve heard of many home winemakers winning awards with their stevia-sweetened wines, so it’s worth a try! As it’s not fermentable, perhaps all of the folks above who have experienced secondary fermentations in the bottle should use stevia for sweetening rather than sugar,honey or wine conditioner. Another popular sweetener that's coming into its own as a home winemaking adjunct is sucralose, commercially known as Splenda. Have fun experimenting!

  Winemakers Magazine
  More about Stevia
  Even more about Stevia
  Purchase Stevia on-line

Related Articles:
Sweet or dry wine
How Sweet It Is: Chaptalization - Winemaker Magazine by Jeff Chorniak
Measuring Residual Sugar: Techniques

 

Any comments or ideas on sweetening or filtering wine? What do you do? Please email us with your experiences and we will put them in our next (Harvest) issue.

 

Preserving Grape Leaves

We have received questions in the past about grape leaves. In early to mid-summer, when the grape leaves on the vine are large, green, and tender, they may be harvested for culinary use.

Use: Fresh grape leaves should always be blanched or brined before using. Middle Eastern cooks blanch grape leaves, then stuff them with rice or a mixture of rice and meat, and roll them into cigar-shaped dolmas. In France, grape leaves are used to protect and flavor some small cheeses. The flavor of mushrooms is enhanced when cooked in a pot lined with grape leaves. Wrapping quail, goat cheese, and anchovies with grape leaves before grilling over coals or baking imparts a special flavor. Some cooks put grape leaves in brine for cucumber pickles to make the pickles crisp.

Availability: Fresh grape leaves are not generally sold commercially, but cooks who live near vineyards will probably find vineyard owners willing to part with some for personal use. (Try wild grapevines) Grape leaves bottled or canned in brine can be purchased at Middle Eastern markets and some well-stocked supermarkets.

Storage: Refrigerate grape leaves in their brine in an airtight, nonmetal container; they will keep indefinitely.

Preparation: Blanch or steam fresh grape leaves briefly just to soften. Rinse canned or bottled grape leaves before use to remove brine flavor. Be careful when removing grape leaves from bottle or jar; they tear easily.

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Preserving grape leaves to stuff with any mixture you desire using your own fresh young grape leaves:

• The grape leaves should be picked in the spring and remove the tough stem.
  1 quart young spring grape leaves, about stem end removed
  2 teaspoons kosher salt, in
  1 quart water
  1 cup fresh lemon juice or 2 1/2 teaspoons citric acid
  1 quart water
  2 pints Change size or US/metric
  Change to: pints US Metric
  35 minutes 15 mins prep
  
• 1. Bring salted water to a boil.
  2. Add washed grape leaves and blanch for 30 seconds.
  3. Drain.
  4. Stack them on each other into 2 piles then form into loose rolls and stand each roll up in 2 pint canning jars.
  5. Add lemon juice or citric acid to the second quart of water and bring to a boil.
  6. Fill jars within 1/2 inch of top with the hot mixture.
  7. Seal.
  8. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

• If you are into pickles and preserving, many of the older dill pickle
  recipes suggest adding a grape leave to the jar. It is meant to help
  hold the color and keep the pickles more crisp.

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More stuffed grape leaves web sites:

How to Preserve Grape Leaves - Pickling Style
Grape Leaves Down Under - 58 recipes for stuffed grape leaves.

Summer Grape Recipe - Stuffed Grape Leaves

Fresh mint, plenty of garlic, and a little feta cheese enliven these classic Greek dolmas. These are a perfect hors d'oeuvre because, if you like, they can be prepared up to one week ahead. Refrigerate them in their cooking liquid and bring to room temperature before serving.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blanch grape leaves in boiling water 45 seconds to remove briny flavor; drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain well and pat dry.
   
2. In a small skillet heat oil and butter. Add shallots and garlic and saute over moderate heat until soft and slightly colored. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add rice, currants, raisins, mint, parsley, dill, feta, and salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Toss well with a fork to blend.
   Lay a grape leaf out flat; put about 1 ½ tbsp. filling near base of each leaf. Roll leaf into a cigar-shaped package, tucking in sides as you roll. Repeat with remaining leaves. Transfer leaves to a roasting pan large enough to hold them snugly. Cover with stock and poach in the oven, covered, for 20 minutes. Cool in stock. To serve, mound grape leaves on a platter and accompany with mint sauce and a bowl of lemon wedges.

• 1 jar (1 lb) grape leaves preserved in brine
• 3 cups cooked rice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup minced shallot
• Tbsp. minced garlic
• ¼ cup dried currants
• 2 tbsp. golden raisins
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
• ¼ cup finely minced parsley
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
• 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• Salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 3 to 4 cups hot chicken stock
• Mint sauce & lemon wedges for garnish

   

  Do you have a great grape recipe - please

and we will put it in our newsletter.

Candle W*nner & Laugh of the Month

Congratulations!

Spring candle winner: northstarbakery@mail

Will this months w*nner,
northstarbakery@mail
please contact us and send your address so that I can ship your candles.

Our list of previous candle w*nners.

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Click below for something silly to end this newsletter with.

Laugh of the month: Snowball fight - Great Summer Activity

See You Next Month!

 

Honeyflow Farm Main Page

Honeyflow Farm
4939 Mill Rd.    PO Box 275
Dryden, Michigan 48428
(810) 796-2344 (Phone & Fax)

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