The Vineyard in Winter -- Spotlight Wine

Perspective

On the surface, all appears quiet at the Three Oaks Farm vineyard. To some, it might even seem dismal and dreary. Dead. They might see our winter-trimmed rows as less than skeletons of the vines that flourished last summer, with the stocky trunks standing as orderly grave markers for their past selves. 

 

But that’s not our perspective. When we look out across the vineyard, we see potential. We see below the surface. Because we know that our vines, right now, without even seeming to, are at work rebuilding. It’s all part of the winter pruning process, and it helps ensure that our plants will be at their peak during the growing season.

 

Pruning is a bit of a science and a bit of an art. Through pruning, we selectively remove up to 90% of last year’s growth, to control future growth and ensure the best yield. It also helps us train the vines as they grow in the spring, to maximize light absorption for their needed photosynthetic activity.  

 

We prune only during the winter months, after the plants have had a chance to move vital minerals and nutrients from leaves and vines to create carbohydrate reserves in the permanent wood of the trunk. During these winter months, when the vineyard seems quiet and still, more is happening in our trimmed grapevines than meets the eye. Like the caterpillar that cocoons itself in preparing to transform, our plants are preparing for the spring growing season, when the vines will emerge and spread like wings, in a beautiful blossom of growth.

 

And that’s what we see when we look across the vineyard. Not skeletal remains. But the beauty and grandeur of what is to come. 

 

Winter Spotlight Wine  

With a classic mouthfeel, the 2016 Sonoma Russian River Valley Pinot Noir offers hints of lavender, violets, and fruit blossom over a backdrop thick with cherry. Smooth and lean on the palate, this earthy wine pairs well with steak dishes, smoked meats, and cheeses of all kinds. It’s our Winter Spotlight Wine, and now through March 21, it’s on sale for $24 per bottle.