The RIESLING grape has emerged as the standard-bearer for Finger Lakes wines over the past 20 years and currently wins most of the increasing international recognition afforded the region’s wines. We planted a plot of Riesling around 2008 and had several years of our grapes sold to Ravines Wine Cellars. A difficulty with heaviness of the soil did not allow cultivation practices to escape an infestation of rootgall, causing us to tear our the vines eight years ago. Soil enhancements with hay and other organic compost were tilled in over several years, followed by replanting 650 or so vines four years ago. They were trellised and pruned using the Vertical Shoot Positioning method, one vine per four feet. Last year, there were numerous clusters but all were dropped while unripe to allow the vines to gain the most vigor. 2022 then is the first crop to be brought to market. The vines were pruned and trellised in February/March. The spring brought good bud growth and bloom. The fruit set was quite dense. The vines were pruned again in May. The vines in June were further picked for leaves in the fruit zone on the east-facing side, vertical shoots were redirected up the trellis, shoots were topped to eye-level, and spring grasses were pulled to assure air circulation below the vines. Cluster thinning and leaf pulling continued in July and August. It was generally a warm, dry summer with a solid rain only every three weeks or so, with some effect on cluster size. The crop now is filling out with a touch of bronze, suggesting ripening. We expect to pick this crop early in October with delivery to our winery colleagues to work their magic making World-class Riesling here in the Finger Lakes of New York.
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