Thank you for coming and helping us prune the Milagro Petite Sirah vines. It was a beautiful day, one that I will remember for a long time. Everyone who participated were quick learners and the vines look great and are ready for the next big event in the winery, "Bud Break". This happens around the end of March and the good thing is that the vines do all the work on their own, no humans involved. The good pruning that we did will direct the growth toward producing shoots that will ultimately support the ripening of the grape clusters that come after the vines flower around mid May.When I am out in the vineyard pruning or performing some other task, I am sometimes aware of the long tradition of vine-tending and wine making. In western civilizations, grapes and agrarian cultures go back perhaps 10,000 years. The first conclusive evidence of grape cultivation dates back 6,000 years around the Mediterranean. People have been out in the vineyard tending their vines for much of that period. That's a lot of seasons of vine tending, and Milagro Vineyard is only in its fourth season...very young vines with a very long history. But I digress.
It was so good to see you all and spend some time together on such a glorious day! What a nice group of people to spend the day with. Some people commented that they didn't need the wine to be enticed into coming out. I agree that when it comes to being friends this is the way it should be. We like to share some of the wines from the area and it's traditional to share the wine with those who help make it. As they say - good wine begins in the vineyard. You are now part of the 2009 vintage and beyond. It will be fun when we can share the fruits of our labors with that vintage and the next and so forth.
