May 06, 2008

This is the first update from my year opening March 1/08 Farm Report.  I have delayed updating sooner, as was my intention, because the weather has not co-operated in moving us along.  We have been experiencing unseasonably cool temperatures and what was expected 2-3 weeks ago is just happening now.

Big Bad Fil - Injured in action and looking for sympathy!

So the days are finally getting nice, in the 20 C. range, and the nights as of last week getting above freezing.  On the Golden Mile Bench we’ve been 3-5 C. warmer as usual, which gives our plants an edge with less frost damage and a quicker start to the season versus all the other parts of the valley.  This week there has been a noticeable increase in the number of swelled buds and we’re seeing the first buds bursting just the last few days.  This means we are now about to start hopping.  Starting in a week to 10 days we’ll be shoot thinning and won’t stop to take a breath until into July.

Our secret planting weapon.

Other Happenings:

COMPOST- Have spread initial treatment, in lieu of granular fertilizers.
- Took delivery of chicken manure and will compost into the late summer before using as a nitrogen supplement.
- Are shipping grape pumice/must (skins, stems etc from the crush pad) from Andres site, for composting and inclusion in this falls program.  Pumice has some unique properties and results when used as compost.  Like all compost it adds humus to the soil (for nutrients like nitrogen), for groundcover (to limit transpiration/evaporation), for pest management (habitat), for weed control (high acidity poisons weeds and herbicides are not required), and to decrease soil PH (and therefore grape PH which requires balance with grape acidity).  It’s our magic ingredient and our road to being “green”.

PLANTINGS- Seems the endless task.  We farmers are just not happy unless we’re pulling stuff out and making changes.  So we replaced 2.25 acres of Ehrenfelser at the Castle with Pinot Noir.  The Ehrenfelser makes a wonderful wine and is easy to sell, but it is labour intensive to farm and is more of a sipping/beverage wine than the more serious food pairing wines we are trying to create.  So not as much challenge for Mike in crafting the wine and a superb site for the clone 115 Pinot Noir that thrives and soars on our soils at the Castle.  We also completed the last acre planting at the “Rock Pile” on the Black Sage side of the valley.  This is our Rhone vineyard, planted last spring, but we had to wait for 2 varietals because we couldn’t get the nursery plants we wanted last year.  So an acre of Mourvedre (for a total of 2+ acres) and 1/3 of an acre of Rousanne complete the picture.  We plan our first Rhone blend, heavy to Syrah, from our 2009 vintage, so released in 2010/2011?

Trevor preparing the vines for planting.

I have one last bit of education for you and will then go away.  We had a soil scientist, Scott Smith, from the Summerland Research Station, come to the farm to discuss the specific soils and their content/character.  He prefaced the details with the fact that the Golden Mile has the only native soils in the entire Okanagan valley.  It turns out that our ground originated on Mt Kobau and slid down the hillside to form our current configuration.  The rest of the valley is alluvial material that has been pushed, pulled and dragged by glacial action from northern BC.  So if you are trying those “other” wines, keep in mind Chetwynd, Ft. Nelson etc!

Regards,
Mick

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Left - Lyndsay and Sebastien - The happy couple!
Right - The honeymoon!

April 21, 2008

Spring is off to a slow start this year; even the marmots are slow to emerge.  Not that the boys in the vineyard are complaining as the warm weather comes soon enough. Mick, Trevor and Sebastien are busy planting the rest of our Black Sage Vineyard, “The Rock Pile” and planting Pinot Noir at the castle vineyard where we took out the Ehrenfelser last Fall. 

Trevor & Sebastien taking a break and bonding with the “rock pile”

Each year, our vineyards get a little “greener” with the goal to be certified organic for 2010. Instead of chemical fertilizers this year we have spread compost. I think Korrine is happy the large pile in front of her house is now gone. (We’re not telling her about the chicken manure that’s arriving).

The tasting room is getting a minor upgrade with new lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs and more lighting at the tasting bar.  Anyone over 50 can appreciate the need for daylight whenever reading is required.

This season is a whirlwind of events.  We have already had the 1st South Okanagan Winery Association kitchen party which was held at Midland Appliance on Kingsway in Vancouver.  Thank you to all who attended for making it a great event.  The wine auction raised $3000.00 for the Osoyoos Desert Centre.

Our winemaker, Michael Bartier was recently in Vancouver and the Victoria area hosting winemaker dinners at Tapenade, Haro’s at the Pier and the Aerie resort.  All received rave reviews!

April 18 and 19 are the Banée of Oliver and the April Wine Festival – a weekend of merriment and celebration of the end of pruning for the wine industry and the Oliver Community.

Mick and Pam will be pouring wines at the Steveston Wine Festival on April 25th and then we have the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival from May 1 to May 10. Be sure to book your barrel room tastings in advance if you are planning a trip to Oliver or Osoyoos. They’re a great way to get a little more wine knowledge and taste our great wines!

Look for us on June 17th at “Indulgence” in Edmonton. Yes, we will finally be pouring wines at an event in Alberta – there is life on the other side of the Rockies!

And you’re all waiting with baited breath for the new releases. We’re making you wait longer this year – until September to be exact. The good news is that we will once again be releasing Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mick doing what he likes best!

We would like to welcome Brooke Fosset as our latest staff member.  Brooke brings with her a wealth of wine knowledge and great people skills and will be taking over many of Gisele’s duties. Gisele is going to work part time so she can spend more time with her young family.

We’re now open daily from 10am to 5:30pm so make sure to put us on your wine touring itinerary.  Check our website for available wines and order direct: winery@goldenmilecellars.com or toll free: 866.498.8330. Korrine, Gisele, Brooke or Pam will be happy to help with your wine selections.

Cheers,
Pam

“Drinking wine is just a part of life, like eating food”
Francis Ford Coppola, moviemaker & wine collector

March 01, 2008

Farm work started for us January 15, with all the attendant snow & cold. Typical temperatures ranged from -4C to -10C daily. Cold to work in, but not if you?re dressed for it & downright balmy for the plants. Winter started gracefully, with gradual temperature drops & therefore caused no surprises, unlike November 2006 when with the plants still hardening off, we were surprised with a -18C day in the middle of +C days. Lots of bud damage caused fewer vines to grow & because the grape clusters form on these vines, lo & behold, less crop! That hurts. So the 2007 winter was not a repeat & we have all pistons firing to start the year.

We completed pruning our Golden Mile Vineyards ("Home" & "Castle") last week. Our Black Sage bench vineyard (we call it the "Rock Pile" & you can guess why) we won't start for another week or so. Generally we like to be completed pruning & the attendant functions (wires down & cordon tying) by the end of March. Buds at that point, are starting to swell and get softer in some varieties & casual contact can damage them.

People sometimes get confused (an ongoing condition for Michael Bartier) between pruning & planting times in the spring. New plants should not be dug in while there is any significant risk of freezing, so mid-April is the soonest most of us will plant. Pruning can be done in much colder conditions. The trick is to cut far enough above the bud(s) you want to keep, leaving sufficient stalk or cane to take the freezing before it can travel all the way down to the bud & kill or damage it. In the case of grape vines it is usually 1-2" above the bud. One other rule concerns the cane/stalk splitting at cutting when it is frozen. That splitting will go most or all the 1-2" to the bud, exposing it to damage or death. So at -6C or so & certainly at -10C we hang up the pruners & go to other chores like cordon replacement.

We also ordered our compost & chicken manure today as we are moving away from all non-organic farm treatments. We currently farm sustainably which means minimal non-organic treatments & nature-centric methodologies. We are on a short-term road to "certified organic" but it is a steep road to accomplish all at once in terms of capital, work, time & learning.

In conclusion, nature has given us a good weather start to the growing season. We always get some surprise or another along the way but the worst of the cold in the valley is over and we are, as usual, excited about it all. Because you cannot predict anything with nature, you're always primed & the feeling right now is like a sprinter in the blocks waiting for the start gun. Seriously. And for those of us that need that constant action, that rush, grape farming is the game. Never a dull moment!

Cheers,

Pam & Mick Luckhurst

Orders: Toll free, 866.498.8330
Winery@goldenmilecellars.com

February 03, 2008

Hope everyone is getting off to a good start for 2008. We have a few new changes here at the winery. Francois, our Agricultural Exchange Worker has gone home to South Africa to work crush in a winery in the Stellenbosch Region; Bailey and Jenny have a brand new baby boy, Porter; and Sebastien and Lindsey have announced their wedding date. Our Golden Mile family seems to be growing by leaps and bounds.

Mike has been showing his usual diligence in the cellar (when he's not skiing) and the wines are coming along nicely. Can't wait for the new release of Chenin Blanc in the spring. Although January was cold, winter so far hasn't been too hard on the vines and the boys are busy pruning to their heart's content. (Makes it sound like a day in the park doesn't it)?

We're busy planning our next year because as we all know, time flies. The Spring Festival is just around the corner, encompassing 10 days this year from May 1 to 10th 2008. Don't miss out on our Barrel Room tastings - a glimpse of current and future releases served in Riedel stemware and accompanied by gourmet cheese and baguettes $15.00 per person (wine club members no charge). Make your reservations early!

And not to rush you, but don't forget about the Fall Festival. Our third Beaune dinner, "Beaune Three" will be October 7th, 2008. This event sells out quickly so don't delay. It's not everyday you get to taste the wines of Burgundy against those of the Okanagan whilst enjoying dinner on a starlit Okanagan winery crush pad. The wines, the food, the romance - what more could you ask for?

The wineshop is open from 11am to 3pm on weekdays until Easter weekend then we start our regular schedule of 10am to 5:30 pm daily (Please note we will no longer be open until 6pm). We still have a good selection of wine left so don't hesitate to drop in. Oh, and don't forget to pick up a piece of ceramic art by Katie Foster for that special someone.

Cheers, and keep us in mind (wine of course) when planning your next dinner party.

Pam & Mick Luckhurst

Orders: Toll free, 866.498.8330
Winery@goldenmilecellars.com