Woods Wine Backyard Vineyard and Home Winery

9-24-2011 Fawns and Momma

2011-09-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

A couple of spotted fawns and their momma hanging out in the vineyard...

9-22-2011 Mischievous Coon

2011-09-22T12:50:00.000-04:00

Check out this video of the Woods Wine Vineyard, and a grape stealing coon caught in a HavaHart trap:

Deer Me 9-21-2011

2011-09-21T20:50:00.000-04:00

The video below provides a pre-harvest update of the Woods Wine Vineyard, and a couple of four legged visitors. The grapes are between 16 and 18 Brix, depending on the cultivar. Harvest is scheduled for 9/30 and 10/1.

Labor Day Harvest and Stomp....

2011-09-05T20:49:00.013-04:00

Today, Nancy and I harvested the grapes above the deck , and then Nancy stomped them.... soooo much fun! in this first video, Nancy thought I was trying to get some good pics, when in actuality, I was video taping her...

Better than sand at the beach...

Her feet smell good...

Here are more pics of the harvest and crush:

8-18-2011 - Vineyard is 70% through veraison...

2011-08-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

8-18-2011 - Awesome grape covered deck overlooking the Woods Wine Vineyard...

2011-08-18T20:14:00.001-04:00

Micro Vineyard Seminar - CCE - 8-11-2011

2011-08-12T08:17:00.002-04:00

I attended a Micro - Vineyard seminar sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension. There was a lot of interesting information including site prep, cultivar selection, trellis styles, and pesticide application.

In the pic below, we were given a demonstration of small vineyard spraying equipment options.

This is a typical backpack sprayer...

This backpack "air-blast" sprayer was the star of the show...

This is a pick of a "CF" valve (red), which smooths out the uneven pressure such as that encountered with pumping a backpack sprayer.

Found a volunteer to demo it's use (only water is in the tank):

Gas engine powered...

Made in Italy...

Provides a nice blast that gives good canopy penetration and small droplet size.

User commented that he should have had ear protection on...

Easy to control...

Uses less pesticide...

You still need to spray both sides of the canopy...

This is a Herbicide applicator... I think there would be a lot of misting and drift so a spray shield should be used in a manicured backyard vineyard... if it should be used at all...

It spays very tiny droplets, as was shown on this test paper...

Battery operated...

Here is the brand...

The host was Dave Stamp, owner of Lakewood Vineyards...

What a beautiful walk though the vineyard, narrated by Dave.

Plenty of educational conversations...

Showing the movable wire in a Scott-Henry Trellis System...

Here is where the wire is at the beginning of the season...

Post extenders to raise canopy height...

Basically a VSP system with a movable wire will create the Scott Henry System...

A nice crop hanging here...

What a great place to be...

Seneca Lake in the background...

Checking out a "Diversion Ditch" for erosion control...

Dave sharing his knowledge...

The output of a drain tile...

Soil and Water Conservation Specialists talked about drainage...

How not to do it...

We looked at various drain tile components...

It was hands-on...

This is a pic of a critter stopper...

It was a great seminar...

Woods Wine - Sudden Trunk Death 7-26-2011

2011-07-26T22:53:00.003-04:00

A sudden trunk death phenomena...

Update 7/28/2011 - I found a direct hit on this problem, it is called partial vine collapse. "Winter Injury to Grapevines and Methods of Protection" - Extension Bulletin E2930 June 2007 Michigan State University.
See pages 24 to 26 of this bulletin, the topic is "Vine growth responses after winter injury" and can be found in this pdf: http://www.migarden.msu.edu/uploads/files/8/e2930.pdf

Woods Wine Vineyard Update - 7-20-2011

2011-07-20T12:32:00.000-04:00

The grape clusters are at the stage just prior to "Berry Touch", and leaf pulling has been completed a few days ago. The video was cut short because the SD card in my camera ran out of space. The crop is looking very nice so far.

Woods Wine Winery Update - 7-2-2011

2011-07-02T12:28:00.000-04:00

I hope you enjoy this update of the new Woods Wine home winery . It's almost complete, the only remaining work is to install the sink and paint the stairwell. An added treat is that there are four types of wine rapidly fermenting in the winery.

Woods Wine Vineyard Update - 6/12/2011

2011-06-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Ed Kwiek, owner of Woods Wine LLC - A Backyard Vineyard Consulting Company (WoodsWine.com), provides viewers with this video of the Traminette vines that were damaged last year by a Mother's Day Frost and a July hail storm. The damage was greatest to the Traminette, so it is interesting to see the recovery in progress.

Woods Wine Vineyard - New Winery Update - 2010-09-24

2010-10-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

Ed Kwiek, owner of Woods Wine - Backyard Vineyard Consulting (WoodsWine.com), provides viewers with this video of the 2010 Traminette bubbling vigorously during primary fermentation in the "old winery". Ed also provides a peek at the "new Winery" that is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2010. Find out more about the Backyard Consulting Services available by visiting WoodsWine.com.

Woods Wine Vineyard - Harvest - 2010-09-24

2010-09-29T18:48:00.001-04:00

Despite the Mother's Day killing frost, and the Mid July hail damage, the Woods Wine Vineyard did produce a surprising crop... Unfortunately, the Noiret delivered a very low yield. The Traminette had lots of firm clusters, but unusually small... like a tennis ball. Corot Noir was the MVP, wait till you see this video! Life is Good!

Woods Wine Vineyard - End of Summer - 2010 09-21

2010-09-21T20:36:00.000-04:00

Overall 2010 has delivered a few kicks in the shins, but it has still been a pretty good year... See how well the frost damaged vines have recovered, see the recent deer damage to the foliage, see the telltale sign that raccoons have been eating your grapes, and what to do about it. Harvest will begin in three days, stay tuned for an upcoming harvest video!

8-16-2010 Hail Damage Update

2010-08-16T22:49:00.004-04:00

This video was made 3.5 weeks after the hail storm of July 21st. The video shows the effect that the hail has had on the grape clusters. I estimate a harvest yield of ~70% of normal harvest. I am wondering what the effect on the wine will be, since there will inevitably be damaged berries run through the crusher/destemmer that will end up in the must. It is not an optimum situation, but the current state of the vineyard is much better than I anticipated. It has been a challenging year, with severe frost damage in May, followed by a nasty hail storm in July... the harvest looks like it will be pretty good, considering everything that happened.

7-21-2010 Woods Wine Crop Lost Due to Unwelcome Hail Storm... Bummer

2010-07-21T17:53:00.003-04:00

7-22-2010 UPDATE:
In the 10 years that I have had my vineyard, I have never before experienced hail damage.
There is a commercial vineyard about 5 miles from me, and I spoke with the vineyard manager today. They also were hit hard. The vineyard manager's advice was to stay the course and keep taking care of the vines and the fruit. He suggested hitting the vines asap with Pristine and Sevin. I can't use Pristine because of the Noiret, but I can use Soveran, which I have. He said that the damaged berries will likely dry up if I get the fruit sprayed quickly, to keep out the bugs and bacteria formation. He has had 40% - 60% hail damage loss in past years, but still managed to bring in a partial crop.
I'm off and running...
Ed

2010-07-12 Mid-Summer Vineyard Update

2010-07-12T10:07:00.000-04:00

The vines have recovered from the frost, and are at stages somewhere between fruit set and berry touch. It is a good growing season so far, with little disease and almost no insect damage.

6-13-2010 - Frost Recovery Status at 70% Bloom

2010-06-13T12:22:00.000-04:00

In this video, you will see how the vines have recovered from the frost damage that happened on Mother's Day. The mature vines in this video are at ~70% bloom.

May 25, 2010 - Pinching Baby Clusters

2010-05-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

In this video, you can see how many clusters can form on two year old vines... grow tubes sure seem to accelerate development... but to invest in strong early vine development, the baby clusters need to be pinched off, so the energy can go into root development.

May 13, 2010 - The battle between frost and vine resilience continues...

2010-05-13T07:08:00.000-04:00

May 11. 2010 Frost Damage - An "Up Close" Look

2010-05-12T05:23:00.001-04:00

May 11, 2010 Late Frost in the Vineyard

2010-05-11T07:57:00.000-04:00

Vineyard Update - 5-9-2010

2010-05-09T06:36:00.002-04:00

Snow on Mother's Day!

Vineyard Update 5-8-2010

2010-05-09T06:18:00.001-04:00

The shoots are growing nicely, even on a really windy day...

Woods Wine Vineyard Update 4-14-2010

2010-04-21T06:26:00.003-04:00

A great start, looking forward to a fun filled growing season!

4-3-2010 Grow Tube Removal

2010-04-05T07:13:00.002-04:00

In the video below, Ed removes a grow tube to show the condition of a typical vine that had it's grow tube left on over the cold winter in Perinton, NY. You will see that there wasn't any adverse affect, and the vine trunks survived the winter quite nicely... The advantage is that there wasn't any damage caused by rabbits chewing on the young trunks during the cold winter months!

Grow Tubes left on all winter, oh no!

2010-01-29T20:52:00.009-05:00

Why do I leave the Grow Tubes on all winter? Watch the video below this pic, to find out more.

These are the vines that I planted on April 20th, 2009.

Today, while I was taking these pics, it was 11 degrees F outside.

Luckily, this vine has two trunks ready to go for the spring pruning.

Even if the Grow Tubes don't fill up with snow to provide a greenhouse effect during the cold winter, I think they provide protection from the wind, as well as protection from the rabbits.

I can't wait to get out there in the spring and prune these new vines. It's funny how these little things in life get me excited. I feel very artistic and creative as I am sculpting the vines for another growing season.

Ginger is 14 years old, but she is still a good companion, and she has her moments of enthusiasm for life. At the end of the video I attached to this blog entry above, Ginger was enjoying a "roll-around" snow bath. I guess she thinks she is bird or something.

It was a tough decision, but replanting half my vineyard is done and over with, and I am psyched awaiting the new composition of my vineyard.

Here is a great shot of a grow tube filled with snow. I have to think that it has some insulating benefit during these extremely cold winter days.

Here is another shot of the same vine, with just a little bit more of my LL Bean boot showing.

Ready to Bottle 12-20-09

2010-01-23T09:57:00.002-05:00

A December 2009 tour of the Woods Wine Winery. There's a good amount of home made bulk wine, ready to bottle.

Who would have thought that this wonderful Backyard Vineyard is only 3 miles fom my home?

2009-12-13T18:17:00.009-05:00

I was fortunate to have Matt find "Wood Wine - Backyard Vineyard Consulting" on the Internet. He realized that we have Backyard Vineyards less than 3 miles apart from each other. Can you believe it? I am fortunate to have someone so close that grows all three of the same cultivars that I grow.

I have a 100 vine vineyard, Matt has a 300 vine vineyard. In addition to Noiret, Corot Noir, and Traminette, Matt also grows Vignoles, Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonel.

I really appreciate that Matt has used Black Locust for his vineyard posts. I think it is so esthetically pleasing... natural, and easy on the eyes.

Another aspect of Matt's vineyard that I appreciate is that he has been learning how to prune and train his vines over the last 8 years. He settled on a combination/variation of low wire cordon and cane pruning, and it sure seems to be working well.

Matt wouldn't say that he is proud of his fantastic vineyard, but I would, and I think he should be!

Matt splits the winery work between his barn and his cellar. This is a pic of his barn, which shows his press and a very nice stainless steel variable capacity tank.

Here is another of Matt's tanks, which is larger. When I asked Matt how he likes these SS VC tanks, he just smiled and said "they are soooo easy to clean!''

This lounge area is where Matt and his wife Linda relax and enjoy watching the wine ferment.

Matt has the exact same grape crusher that I have, and like me, Matt uses it for an artifact of interest. Matt subsequently bought a motorized Crusher/De-Stemmer, and I have as well.

Amazingly enough, Matt and I also have the very same wine press. It is an "Oasis 303". I keep mine for a backup press, as I have since bought a Stainless Steel Bladder Press. Matt is looking to buy an 80L Bladder Press, similar to mine, to simplify his operations.

Matt also has an orchard of apple trees and cherry trees.

Another similarity is that both Matt and I have a double laundry tub in our wineries. They are very well suited for the requirements of a home winery.

Matt uses barrels, which I only aspire to using someday.

Matt expressed how useful the simply designed bottle tree has been in his operations. As is quite often the case, the less complicated, the better!

Matt selected a few bottles to swap with me. I gave Matt a bottle of Noiret, and bottle of Corot Noir. I didn't have any more Traminette bottled, but I promised Matt a bottle when I get the '08 vintage bottled. Matt reciprocated by giving me a bottle of '08 Cherry, a bottle of'08 Elderberry, and a bottle of '07 Sparkling Cider Wine. I am really looking forward to trying these wines. I have elderberries in the freezer, waiting to be made into wine, and I have two vintages of apple wine awaiting bottling. Who doesn't like Cherry Wine? I am sure Matt and I have a lot of experience and knowledge to share with each other. Matt has a Horticultural degree...

This is a pic of my good lookin' truck, with a backdrop of Matt's orchard.

Matt is so fortunate to have such a nice barn to work in, and to keep his implements in.

The vineyard is in the background, down the way from the house and the barn.

This beautiful home is one that has been kept in the family by Matt and his bride Linda. It used to belong to Matt's in-laws.

Here is a good perspective of the property. It's a long way down the driveway to the house, even further to the barn, and way beyond the barn to get to the vineyard. Matt and Linda's property is ~16 acres.

Matt was a hospitable host. I enjoyed very much the tour of the Vineyard and Winery, and I look forward to having Matt and Linda over to see my operation, just down the road!

A Fine Visit to Matt's Home Winery and Backyard Vineyard in Plain City, Ohio...

2009-12-04T11:07:00.011-05:00

I met Matt through WinePress.US, the best Backyard Vineyard and Home Winery forum on the Internet. On WinePress.US, Matt is know as "Garmoni", and I am know as "Woods Wine". Matt and I have been corresponding because we have some of the same Cultivars (or varieties) of grapes planted. My son Jesse and his family live in Worthington Ohio, and I am exploring the possibility of conducting my Backyard Vineyard Lecture Series in the greater Columbus area. Matt is helping me research the potential market and advertising channels in the area. Matt wanted to try some of my wines, so he could get a feel for what the wine might be like when he gets his first harvest of Noiret and Corot Noir. Matt already has Traminette planted and harvested, and has made Traminette wine. I was in Ohio for Thanksgiving with my son's family, so Matt and I set up this visit.

These are Matt's Traminette vines, trained to the "Vertical Shoot Positioning" training style. The vines are very hardy and have large diameter trunks. They are about 5 years old.

This is a pic of the vineyard expansion. The new vines will be planted in the spring of 2010. Matt was wise to dig the vine holes at the same time he dug the post holes. He took advantage of having the powered post hole digger on site, and he will be glad he did next spring.

The building on the left houses Matt's Crusher/De-stemmer and Press. That beautiful SportTrac is my truck, it's sitting on Matt's Crush Pad.

This is another view of Matt's vineyard. Note that there is still room for more expansion.

Matt used information obtained from a guy named "Hammered" on WinePress.US to build this Crusher De-stemmer.

Matt reports that it works very well.

Matt was lucky enough to obtain a fine wine press that used to be his Grandfather's.

Matt may someday get a larger, more modern press, but he loves the sentimental value of this old press.

This is the manufacturer's stamp on the press.

My son Jesse's brother-in-law, Nick, accompanied me on the visit. Nick is admiring Matt's collection of labels.

Matt was quick to jump in and point out some of the rare trophies.

Matt has quite the set-up in his wine cellar.

Matt is describing how large the clusters were that he grew on his Traminette vines.

Matt is also the modest winner of several wine competition metals. He obviously knows his stuff!

Matt has a good batch of wine bulk aging, and bottles ready to receive the finished wine.

Matt made his own wine racks, also from ideas and plans obtained on WinePress.US.

Matt and his wife were very creative with decorating the wine cellar ceiling. The vines are clippings obtained when Matt pruned his Traminette. The grape lights and other grape clusters were his wife's idea. It looks really cool.

I gave Matt a few bottles of Woods Wine: Traminette, Corot Noir, and Noiret from my Backyard Vineyard and Home Winery. Matt reciprocated with a bottle of his home grown Traminette, as well as bottles of Concord, Jalapeno, and Chardonnay wines. Some of Matt's tasting notes are included at the end of this post.

This is the place where Matt and his family enjoy watching the vineyard grow.

It's a beautiful view.

This is Matt's house, with the vineyard on the left of the driveway. Matt and his family have a beautiful home. I enjoyed the visit very much, and Matt was an excellent host and tour guide.

Below is an excerpt that I took from an email Matt sent me shortly after the visit:

"Hi Ed, I was just about to send you a note to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your visit and to let you know I did a Woods Wine tasting Saturday night. My wife and I had my parents over and had a great time tasting and discussing your wines. I first showed them your blog (they were very impressed) and gave them some background on your vineyard and what you grow. We then tasted both the Corot Noir and Noiret. I can tell you that we enjoyed them both. Here are the notes from the tasting.

We first opened the Corot Noir: Very nice ruby color. The bouquet was fabulous with notes of black cherry and I thought very vinifera like. Everyone thought it tasted very much like it smelled. Medium body very easy drinking. I thought it was well balanced and did not seem a bit hot.

Noiret: Darker more burgundy color. It has some vegetative, peppery, earthy tones on the nose. Tasted bigger than the Corot Noir. More tannic and spicy. We could taste the pepper characteristics that came through in the bouquet. Very nice. We thought this would pair well with some spicy Italian dishes.

We did not get to the Traminette. Will save that for another time and maybe taste it against one of mine. I think the dry to off dry comparison will be fun and informative.

Overall I was pleased with both varietals that we tasted."

At what temperature should you serve wines?

2009-11-23T15:35:00.002-05:00

Here’s an easy to remember rule of thumb regarding serving wines.

The Twenty Minute Rule

Put reds in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving. Takes whites out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving.

The only exceptions are sparkling and dessert wines, which are best enjoyed at refrigerator temperatures.

Homemade Squirt Shield for my 80 Liter Bladder Press

2009-11-05T16:29:00.004-05:00

I didn't like the plastic bag squirt shield that came with my 80 liter bladder press, so I made a much more durable squirt shield out of a 32 gallon Brute. It is easier to get on and off, and much easier to clean.

I don't know for sure, but other size Brutes may work with different size bladder presses.

10-16-2009 - Hard freeze ends the year!

2009-10-16T18:42:00.002-04:00

We were very lucky to have harvested just a few days before this video was taken.

10-9-2009 Harvest, Crush, and Lab Fun

2009-10-16T17:23:00.007-04:00

Here is the Pickin' Crew... Nick from Columbus, Ohio on the left, and Jim from Kirkville, NY on the right... do you really think we will get anything done?

Jim found a nice Traminette cluster.

Nick found a better one. We call this a two-hander.

After the harvest, we had a bucket brigade to load the Crusher/Destemmer.

Amy, who is my lovely daughter from Perinton, NY, stopped by to "pitch in".

Nick and Jim all of a sudden took supervisory roles.

EEEWWWE! Is that a spider that got in there?

Guys... could use a little help here!

Nah, said Nick and Jim, you're doin' just fine Amy.

The day after the Crush, Nick took the lead in the lab. Exactly 5 ml of wine...

Approximately 100 ml of water...

Mix them together...

Fill the burette, remember to get the bottom of the meniscus exactly on zero.

Be sure to shut the petcock when the pH reaches 8.2.

We needed to add Calcium Carbonate to reduce the Titratable Acid.

Nick sure knows how to mix up a fine yeast starter.

For now, the Traminette looks a lot like pea soup, but it will surely clear and become delicious!

Vineyard Update at Harvest Time

2009-10-06T14:56:00.003-04:00

This video shows the vineyard as harvest is beginning. The progress of the new 2009 vines, and the results of the conversion to Top Wire Cordon are discussed.

Rainbow looking over the Woods Wine Vineyard...

2009-08-25T21:30:00.004-04:00

Petiole Sampling

2009-08-25T21:03:00.014-04:00

I decided to have a petiole analysis performed on all three cultivars that I grow. Noiret, Corot Noir, and Traminette. The vines sampled were planted in 2004.

Each sample requires that you pick between 60 - 80 leaves.

You then remove the petioles, which are the leaf stems.

I used a basket for gathering leaves. You need to select the newest mature leaf from the shoot. This is usually 5 or 6 leaves from the shoot tip.

You just pinch off the leaves.

Then you will have a petiole in your hand.

When all the petioles are collected, they need to be quickly rinsed in a mild detergent. Just a dab of laundry soap in a bowl.

Don't soak them, just a quick dip.

Followed by a quick rinse.

I dried the petioles off on a paper towel, being certain to keep the three cultivars separate.

I then transferred them to aluminum foil, and popped them in a 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

That will remove a lot of the moisture, but not all.

They were then placed in the sample bags provided by Cornell.

Below are the application forms for the petiole anayses that I submitted, and the Analysis Reports which were sent back to me, with recommendations for each of the three cultivars.

This is the Analysis Application for the Corot Noir vines:

This is the Analysis Report for the Corot Noir vines:

This is the Analysis Application for the Noiret Vines:

This is the Analysis Report for the Noiret vines:

This is the Analysis Application for the Traminette vines:

This is the Analysis Report for the Traminette vines:

Cornell - Finger Lakes Grape Program Field Trip

2009-08-25T20:03:00.008-04:00

The Field Trip was held at the White Springs Vineyards and Winery.

Hans and Justine presented several topics, including canopy management, pre-harvest sampling and testing, grape price outlook, and a nice discussion of the newly released cultivars.

The group gathered in the vineyard.

It was an open air presentation.

Justine walked us through the test block, and showed the effects of several different variations of shoot thinning and leaf pulling.

There was a lot of interesting dialog.

Above is an interesting shot of the manner in which the long rows were anchored, the trellis is two fruiting wires, VSP, with cane pruning.

What a great view of Seneca Lake!

After the lectures in the vineyard, we went to the winery for a social hour.

It was beautiful stainless steel all over the place.

It was a great chance to mingle and meet some very nice growers.

This display of Tri-Clamps and accessories is a work of modern art.

The people were great, the lectures were informative, and the wine was very tasty!

First leaf vine growth looks great!

2009-08-24T22:47:00.005-04:00

This video is a progress report on the vines I planted this spring, and the transition to the Top Wire Cordon (TWC) training style. Things are looking good!

July 22 Update: Vines Planted this April, and Vines Converted to Top Wire Cordon (TWC) Training

2009-07-23T09:54:00.009-04:00

The whole 100 vine vineyard, new and old vines.

Corot Nor vines that were planted this April.

These two are some of the largest newly planted vines, Noiret.

This one is the smallest of the newly planted vines. It is a Noiret that was damaged early on by the deer.

A close up of the smallest vine. It looks like it will be OK.

Corot Noir that were converted to TWC.

Noiret that were converted to TWC.

Traminette that were converted to TWC.

The Traminette have the most grapes on them this year.

Look what I found in the vineyard!

2009-07-09T05:39:00.002-04:00

Evaluation of Traminette, Corot Noir, and Noiret

2009-05-17T02:26:00.003-04:00

Erica Little, Tasting Room Manager of the New York Wine and Culinary Center, evaluates the three wines made by Ed Kwiek, owner of Woods Wine - Backyard Vineyard Consulting

How to Plant Vines

2009-05-15T11:08:00.016-04:00

The Lilacs were in bloom when the planting was done.

This is the box I received from Double A Vineyards on 4/21/09.

Inside the box were the vines, a receipt, planting instructions, and instructions on how to use Blue X Grow Tubes.

The vines are packed in a plastic bag.

I took the bag out of the box.

The bare root vines are vey damp, and the roots are surrounded with wet shredded newspaper.

When the vines were separated, they had a slight twist to them. The vines were restored to their original straightness, once they had a chance to unwind.

I ordered 17 Noiret...

15 Traminette...

and 18 Corot Noir, for a total of 50 vines.

I planted one cultivar type at a time, digging all the associated holes before starting to plant. I also soaked the bare roots in a bucket of water for an hour or so prior to planting. This is done to rehydrate the vines.

If you look close, you can see the vines soaking in a bucket of water on the wagon. The roots will be tangled, so you need to separate them before planting.

The holes are ~18 inches deep, and about the size of a 5 gallon bucket.

I try to make a small mound in the bottom of the hole, and then spread the roots around, heading them in different directions. Then I add a little bit of soil, and pack it down.

Then I throw in a shovelful of compost.

Add more soil, and make sure the roots are still separated. At this time, you need to make sure the height of the vine is targeted to be in the correct position, then fill the hole to the top.

I use a plumbob and tape measure to ensure the vine is planted in the correct spot under the trellis wires, and that the vine spacing is correct.

I then compress the soil with my foot.

This is what the vine looks like in it's new home.

Then I put a grow tube on the vine. I attached two 3/8" bamboo stakes to the trellis wires using my Prothec vine tying tool. One of the bamboo stakes is inside the grow tube, and one is on the outside. This allows me to tie the grow tube to the outside stake, and the inside stake helps to keep the grow tube from constricting. Then I make an ring of soil around the base of the vine to retain water. Notice that I bury the bottom of the grow tube to prevent a chimney affect, and allow the grow tube to create the greenhouse effect it is designed to do.

This is what it looks like from a ways off.

It was a lot of work, but I replaced all my undesirable vines with the vines that work very well in my cold climate. All three cultivars make an excellent varietal wine. I am really excited about the future of my vineyard... It will have only the three cultivars, which will make operations a lot easier, and the wines a lot better!

I planted 46 vines in the ground, and planted 4 spare vines in pots.

Ginger was a huge help... she is a great assistant.

The lilacs looked great and smelled terrific.

This is what one of the vines looked like two weeks after planting.

This is what another vine looked like, also two weeks after planting.

Don't be reluctant to plant a backyard vineyard... it's easy, lots of fun, and the wine tastes great too!

Soil Analysis

2009-04-11T09:18:00.013-04:00

I went to the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and obtained a Soil Analysis Kit. It cost $15, and the postage to send in the soil sample was an additional $5. The kit consists of instructions, an information form, a plastic bag for the sample, and a mailer. The mailer is a cloth bag attached to an envelope.

The instructions tell you to take multiple soil samples in the area that you would like analyzed. I contacted Hans Walter-Peterson, who is the CCE Viticulture Specialist from the Finger Lakes Grape Program . I asked Hans at what depth I should take the samples for a backyard vineyard. Hans initially said that I should take two samples, one at 8-10 inches and another at 16-20 inches. Hans said that the deeper sample would be for informational purposes only, since I have an established vineyard, and also since it is not practical for a backyard vinyardist to amend the soil at a depth greater than 8-10 inches. When a new commercial vineyard is being planted, a deep soil sample is taken, and the deeper soil can be amended by using a very powerful tractor and a special plow that is called a subsoiler. That subsoiler plow will be able to turn over the soil at a depth of 18 inches or more. The tractor that pulls the plow needs to be 40 -50 horsepower per plow. I took 4 samples at different locations in my vineyard, at a depth of 8-10 inches, since that is the depth at which I can practically affect. I also didn't want to spend another $20 for the second soil analysis.

I was really surprised to see the difference in the texture and color of the 4 samples. The instructions tell you to dry out the samples, so you are not paying postage for mailing water.

I took out the larger stones, and weighed the four samples for consistency. Each sample weighed 90 grams.

I combined the samples and sent them in to the Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory in Ithaca.

The following six images are documents that I scanned in. If you double click on a document, it will zoom in so you can read it.

Document one...
This is the front side of the Directions for Soil Sample Directions

Document two...
This is the back side of the Directions for Soil Sample Directions

Document three...
This is the front side of the document that I sent in with the soil sample.

Document four...
This is the back side of the document that I sent in with the soil sample.

Document five...
This is the analysis document that was sent back to me the first time by the Cornell Lab.
They misspelled my last name and they incorrectly provided me with "PREPLANT" recommendations, instead of the "MAINTENANCE" recommendations that I requested. The type of recommendation that you are requesting is indicated by checking the option for either "Establishment of plants" or "Maintenance after planting" on the document that you send in with the soil sample.

Document Six...
This is the analysis document that was sent back to me the second time by the Cornell Lab.
They promptly corrected the spelling of my last name, and they provided me with the "MAINTENANCE" recommendations that I originally requested.

The time line is as follows:
03/13/09 - Picked up soil sample kit from Cornell Cooperative Extension
04/02/09 - Dug up soil samples and let them dry out overnight
04/03/09 - Blended the four soil samples and sent in the mailer to the Cornell Analysis Lab. The postage was $4.95.
04/21/09 - Received the first (incorrect recommendations) Analysis Report from Cornell.
04/23/09 - Received the second (correct recommendations) Analysis Report from Cornell.

One of the recommendations is to "Consult the current cornell recommendations in - the home fruit planting - available from your your cooperative extension agent." To make a long story short, it took me a week of emailing to find out how to obtain the "Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home". It is available at: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/fruit/homefruit.html
It was worth the wait and effort to get the guide, it is very informative.

Per the soil analysis recommendations, I will apply Potash and 10-10-10 fertilizer annually.

I found the analysis to be worth the $20 it cost me.

An update to Soil Analysis - 01/31/2010

During 2009, The Cornell lab stopped performing soil analysis, and outsourced that function to Agro-One Soils Laboratory, a division of Dairy One.

This is the front page of the Sample Submission Form:

This is the back page of the Sample Submission Form:

This is an example of a Soil Analysis for a front lawn that will be have a garden and grape vines planted on it:

This is an example of a Soil Analysis for a pasture that will be converted to a Vinifera Grape vineyard:

This is an example of a Soil Analysis for an American Grape vineyard:

This is an example of a Soil Analysis for a Vinifera Grape vineyard:

March 20, 2009 - Pruning Begins

2009-03-20T15:24:00.015-04:00

There are two significant changes in the Woods Wine Vineyard this year. First, I have yanked out the Foch, GR-7, and NY76 vines, roots and all. They will be replaced with Traminette, Noiret, and Corot Noir, which will be the only three cultivars in the vineyard henceforth. There are already 16 Traminette, 17 Corot Noir, and 20 Noiret vines in the vineyard that were planted in 2004. These three are cold hearty cultivars that produce very nice wines. The new planting will take place on April 21, and the vineyard will be restored to 100 vines after the planting is complete. Life is too short to grow grapes that are not the best performers for your terroir. Second, the old training style of three wire bilateral cordons will be replaced with Top Wire Cordon (TWC) training method. This new method will allow the vines to produce better quality fruit on fewer buds than before. TWC will also allow the vines themselves to be more hearty. The vines will be able to allocate more energy and for root and vine development, since there will be fewer shoots to share the wealth with. I'll keep you informed of the progress.

July 28, 2008 - WOW - Tons of Grapes!

2008-07-28T20:00:00.004-04:00

June 7, 2008 - Vines beginning to flower...

2008-06-07T11:50:00.002-04:00

Today is a 6-7-8 95F scorcher in Perinton NY, and all is well at the Woods Wine Vineyard. Flowering began on a couple of varieties yesterday, so I thought you might be interested in viewing the beginning of the process.

April 13, 2008 - Last Snow in the Vineyard

2008-06-01T08:15:00.004-04:00

This video shows a tour of Woods Wine Vineyard on 4/13/2008. Half the vineyard is pruned and half is not. It happened to be the last snow of 2008, and a beautiful Spring day.

Nice Winter Day in the Vineyard

2008-03-09T11:54:00.003-04:00

Going to sleep for the winter...

2007-11-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

We had a very hard frost overnight... It was the last Noiret breath for 2007.

The Foch lost their leaves a bit earlier, and today they look like sparkling jewelry.

Here is a big view, frosted vines, frosted lawn, and frosted ornamental grass. Very cool, if you know what I mean...

This is a pic of the benches. This fall Hostas were planted between the benches and the trees. In the spring, mulch will be put down to dress it up. This is hopefully a good investment in changing a good place to sit into a great place to sit.

Below is a pic of the new dock and sitting area on the creek.

And finally, Babs received a fresh coat of copper paint for 2007. Doesn't she look just great?

October 20, 2007 - Mr. Ed Getting Juice(d) with Mary

2007-10-29T17:45:00.000-04:00

In 2007 we had a very high quality, but smaller than usual crop at the Woods Wine Vineyard. This was due to one of the worst summer droughts we have had in a long time. Fortunately Mary and I can fall back on buying pressed wine juice from a nearby vineyard, about 40 minutes away. We ordered 20 gallons of Vidal, and 20 gallons of Vincent. Of course we were the first in the queue on the first day of pick up.

Now that is what I call a nice looking barn!

And a nice looking barrel, too...

40 gallons is eight 5 gallon fragile carboys...

Mary awaits the opening of the vineyard barn in the comfort of the truck...

Mr. Ed is getting the carboys out and setting in front of the barn door, as is the custom to establish the queue. Very similar to schoolchildren waiting for the bus.

Inside, we find John, one of the owners, pouring juice into white pails.

This is John's daughter, who is in her first year (first day) as a juice helper. Not too shy, is she?

Below is Mr. Ed, hauling the Vidal juice back to the truck.

Putting it snugly into the cardboard boxes, to prevent bumping and spills.

I think that's the last of it.

Back home, Mary shows how we will pump the wine into the cellar...

Now there's a good smile!

More hauling by Mr. Ed.

You can see the juice is being pumped out of the carboys and into the cellar.

Do you think that baggy clothes makes Mr. Ed look like he lost some weight? (He bought them that way, just for that reason!)

Here we have Mary in the cellar, pumping the juice into 32 gallon Brute primaries.

Mary is at the controls of the space age wine pump contraption.

A nice batch of Vincent juice is home at last.

Mr. Ed has to stir in some sugar (aka Chapitalizing) to get the Brix up.

Almost like a witch's brew.

Man, that's a lot of sugar...

Ah, but how sweet it is.

For sanitary reasons, Mr. Ed now uses a sanitized glass rod to obtain samples of juice for the refractometer test.

Trying to keep the alcohol level down a bit compared to the 2006 vintage, Mr. Ed is adjusting the Brix to ~25 for the 2007 vintage.

We are sure the 2007 vintage will be one of the best ever!

October 15, 2007 - Pressing Woods Wine with Amy

2007-10-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

Here we have Mr. Ed at the controls of his new Italian Wine Press.

Man, this new press really gets the juices flowing...

With the 1/2" hose going through the wall to Amy, who is down in the cellar, there is a slight problem because the bend in the hose is acting as a plumbing trap. The pause in the flow of the wine is easily corrected by lifting up the hose to eliminate the "trap". This is what has been coined "Burping the Hose" by Mr. Ed. It is imperative that burping the hose is performed frequently enough to prevent the catch pan from overflowing.

This new press gets the juice going so well that it starts squirting out the sides instead of running down into the pan. The circumvention is to put a food grade bag over the press, which channels the juice down to the juice pan, and into the cellar, instead of on the floor. My plan for next year is to cut a 32 gallon Brute into a cylinder that fits nicely over the press, and channels the juice into the pan. That will be a lot easier than a plastic bag. This new press does perform a lot better than the old wooden antique press that Kirkville Jim and I have been rebuilding over the last 5 years. I'm still keeping the old wooden fella around as a backup press. The must is pressed almost completely dry with this new press, and the new press is easy to clean with a power washer.

Below is Amy in the cellar, monitoring the flow of new wine into the carboys. She has to plug the hose with her finger, and switch to a new carboy once the wine level reaches the shoulder of the carboy. I plan to get a 50 gallon tank for this operation next year, so I can press a whole batch into one vessel without moving the hose. The tank will also be a good place for letting the new wine settle for 24 hours, and then rack it off the gross lees (aka mud).

What a beautiful daughter, eh?

Below Amy is showing us how the hose is run through a hole in the cellar wall, and goes up to the garage or "Crush Pad". The elegant form that Amy displays in this pic is no doubt due to her years of experience as a gymnast... very graceful indeed! This new "through the wall" method has eliminated a lot of wine handling, and also saves the back of Mr. Ed, because it is no longer necessary for him to carry full carboys from the garage down to the cellar.

I'd like to point out something in the above picture. The very first "pressing through the wall" operation carried out by Mr. Ed and his lovely wife Mary resulted in a bit of wine art on the wall. This was clearly due to not knowing exactly how we should perform this new "pressing through the wall" procedure. Oh yea, the fact that Mary and I had a bit of Woods Wine while we were pressing may have had something to do with the wine art on the wall too. Mr. Ed has named the wine art "The Crying Unicorn". If you look closely, you can see it. I find it very Picassoian.

September 30, 2007 - Punch Down and Press

2007-10-29T14:18:00.000-04:00

Below are Nick aka "Punch Down", and Mr. Ed. Punch Down is getting a must sample for Mr. Ed to test for sugar content using a refractometer.

Mr. Ed is performing the test as Punch Down looks on.

Below is Punch Down, extraordinarily performing the task for which he became famous.

Just look at that style. Go Punch Down!

Man that takes a lot out of ya! Regular rest intervals are a Must.

Alas, the brand spanking new 80 liter bladder press, imported from Italy in January of 2007, is all washed and ready for it's maiden press.

Mr. Ed has the scoop on how it's done.

Just pour the Must into the top of the press. This is the Traminette that was picked about 24 hours before this pic was taken.

Oh well, the Ohioan migrant worker team had to leave for home before the Traminette press was completed. They took the camera with them, but I can assure you that Mr. Ed pressed on.

September 29, 2007 - Harvest and Crush

2007-10-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

This is what a typical migrant worker looks like after a long night of imbibing fine Woods Wine.

Ah, the beautiful Woods Wine Vineyard!

The Foch was already picked by Kirkville Jim and Mr. Ed.

These nets are to keep out the undesirables!

Now we have to remove the tendrils and leaves that have grown into the nets.

Just like removing the veil from a beautiful bride.

Time to get ye ole net remover in place.

We tie the nets in a knot, so we can easily find the end next year...

And away we go!

Nice legs, ooo-la-la!

Wait a second, was that paper or plastic?

This is the Woods Wine Barn, which was built by the Mennonites... or were they Amish??? The nets you see on the ground are drying from the prior rainy day harvest.

Time to get the pickin' buckets out to the vines.

Ah, the vines, the beautiful vines.

The sweetest Traminette you can get, mmmmm.

These are either GR-7 or Noiret.

Golden beauties.

These are either Noiret, or GR-7.

Gene, the pickin' machine, and Chelsie the sun glass model.

Below we have Thomas pointing out to mom that she missed a bunch.

Hey, how did a Buckeye get in here?

Kirkville Jim decided to move a bit away from the philosophical jibber jabber of Aunt Jean and granddaughter Chelsie.

Below we find Annie Banany, beautifully framed by some GR-7s.

Doc Clipper:

Mr. Ed:

Nick decided to get a bit away from the philosophical jibber jabber of Annie Bananny, and all the buzz of her son, Tommy the Bee-Man.

Annie reaching to get those high ones...

Doc Clipper trying to find another Buckeye in with the grapes...

The wagon is being loaded up in the background.

How sweet it is to pull a heavy load.

I don't think Mr. Ed fell off the wagon this early, but you couldn't prove it by this pic.

And awaaaaaaay he goes.

"The Crusher":

The Crush Pad:

Kirkville Jim, stickin' it to The Crusher.
Doc Clipper telling Kirkville Jim that he is going to start The Crusher with Jim's hand in there...

Nah, just kiddin, says Doc.

We just keep on filling up The Crusher.

And filling...

Hey, wait a minute, my hand is stuck in here!

The Crusher commands respect.

For a minute there, we thought that was Kirkville Jim's thumb suspended in mid air in the pic below:

And we keep on filling...

Below are our "Must" rewards:

Keep 'em rollin, guys!

This Must be serious.

... and filling...

Finally done crushing and destemming, now to remove the destemmer cylinder for cleaning.

Careful not to get cut on those sharp burrs.

Mr. Ed thinks he can maybe yield one extra glass of wine if he cleans the destemmer real well.

And finally, below is really what the migrant worker looks like after a long night of drinking Woods Wine... or is that Mr. Ed?

September 27, 2007 - Start of the Harvest

2007-10-28T16:05:00.000-04:00

After a rainy morning, "Kirkville Jim" and I picked the Foch, Eleanora, and Janusz from the wet vines... Here is the whole day's harvest:

These are Eleanora white grapes from the deck trellis:

Below are Foch grapes from 14 vines in the vineyard. The quality was very good (high sugar, low acid) but the yield was low. The berries were unusually small due to the summer drought, and almost every bunch had some undeveloped berries...

These are the Janusz, also from the deck trellis:

Here is the crusher/destemmer, set up for processing the day's harvest.

From Carboy to Wine Rack

2007-07-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

This is what we are after... a clean and sanitized bottle, an appropriate amount of ullage, a well placed cork, an appealing label, and a nice capsule covering the top of the bottle.
We begin in the Woods Wine Winery:

The empty bottles are partially filled so they won't float in the sink filled with water:

The double sink holds 50 bottles nicely, that's enough for two carboys of wine.

We put cleaner and sanitizer in a container, then add hot tap water. Everything must be cleaned and sanitized.

This is an Avvinatore. I will place it in the tub full of cleaner/sanitizer and then use it on every bottle.

The outside of the bottles are first soaked and scrubbed.

Then the inside of the bottle is then power sprayed... a bottle brush is used if necessary.

They then are rinsed with the sanitizer/cleaner, and power sprayed with tap water again.

They are then placed on a bottle tree.

Repeat until all the 50+ bottles are cleaned and sanitized.

Now 25+ bottles are placed under carboy to allow gravity bottle filling.

These are the parts that are used for racking. The little black cup prevents sediment from the bottom of the carboy from entering the bottle.

This is how the racking parts are put together.

Here is the general idea of filling the bottles using gravity.

Here you can see the bottle being filled.

The surgical tubing is very easy to pinch closed between bottles. The tube clamp is only used if I must leave the bottling operation for an extended period (like refilling my glass).

Below all the bottles are filled, and the carboy is empty.

The corks are place in cleaning/sanitizing solution.

This is a floor corker, imported from Portugal.

Here is where the cork goes.

Here is where the bottle goes.

You then push the lever down.

And ta-da, the bottle is corked.

The filled bottles are again placed in the sink for a final rinse.

The bottles are wiped dry and are now shiny and bright.

Now I make labels on the computer that my good friend Dick gave me.

Now they need to be cut up and trimmed.

This is Woods Wine's high tech labeling machine:

First the glue from a glue stick is applied.

The the label is centered on the bottle.

Last it is pressed on using the most versatile tool of all, the human hand.

This is Woods Wine's high tech shrink capsule applicator:

First a paint stick is used to hold the capsule in place.

Then heat is applied to lock the capsule in place. The paint stick is used so I don't burn my fingers with the hair dryer.

Once the capsule is locked in place, the bottle is picked up and heat is applied all the way around for a nice uniform fit.

And this is what the finished product looks like.

The finished bottles are then placed in a nice wine rack that was imported from Australia.

As you can see, the rack is filling up nicely. The lower half of the rack currently contains mostly empties and a few rows of whites, but that space is going to be loaded with wine quickly.

The end.

July 29, 2007 Yard Shots (Veraison Starting)

2007-07-29T14:06:00.000-04:00

Rose of Sharon (double click to enlarge):

Deck:

Mary's Garden:

Vineyard Aisle:

Foch:

Chambourcin (cut off, due to be replaced with NY76 in spring):

Noiret:

GR-7 (notice the beginning of Veraison):

Corot Noir:

Traminette:

Janusz (note the beginning of Veraison):

Eleanora:

Blackberries:

BABS:

View of the Woods Wine Vineyard from Outer Space

2007-07-07T19:39:00.000-04:00

Happy 7/7/7!!!!!!!

Above is a pic of the Woods Wine Vineyard, taken from outer space. I believe it was taken sometime in 2005, the year that rows 8 and 14 were newly planted with GR7's. If you look closely between rows 1 and 2, you will see Mr. Ed tending to the vines. What appears to be a large number 3 is actually Ms. Mary's flower garden (not a tribute to Dale Earnhart). Photo is courtesey of Google Earth.

Yard Shots 6-24-07 - Lookin' good so far!

2007-06-24T17:23:00.000-04:00

Northern Block of Vines:

Southern Block of Vines:

Foch Closeup:

Traminette Closeup:

Corot Noir Closeup:

Noiret Closeup:

GR7 Closeup:

Upside Down Tomatoes:

Yellow Raspberry:

Orchard:

Pest Control

2007-06-22T08:21:00.000-04:00

Starting in the middle of Spring, it is advantageous to do proactive pest control by catch and relocate using HavaHart Traps. Coons are really a PITA. Here is a very nice catch of two coons caught at once on September 5, 2006. No, they weren't relocated to Coon Heaven.

Another preventive measure to control pests is to install bird netting on the vines. One year Mary and I saw a black cloud of Starlings fly out of the first row of Foch. As I went into the vineyard to assess the damage, much to my dismay another huge cloud of Starlings lifted up from the second row of Foch. The damage was substantial. Hundreds of starlings can eat a lot of grapes in short order. I now install the bird netting ~ the last week in August when veraison begins. Veraison is the color change of the grapes from green to purple. It is an indicator to the animal kingdom of the sweetening of the fruit. The nets also are a pretty good deterrent to the deer, although last year the deer actually ripped the netting on one row, presumably with their feet or antlers. I patched it up and kept up the good fight.

2006 Grape Pressing

2007-06-05T14:25:00.001-04:00

A few memories of the '06 grape pressing...

Crusher/Destemmer Dolly and Must Moving System

2007-06-05T14:07:00.000-04:00

The pics below are of a dolly made of pressure treated wood and 5" Stainless Steel casters. This dolly will allow for easy movement of the crusher/destemmer during the crush and subsequent cleaning. You will also see the bright yellow drum dolly and the 32 gallon Brute primary fermenter. The crusher/destemmer stand was shortened to the correct height for moving the numerous Brute "primaries" under the chute to catch the crushed and destemmed grapes. The drum dolly will also facilitate easy relocation of the full Brute primaries as required during the primary fermentation and pressing.

Wine Press Dolly

2007-06-05T13:45:00.000-04:00

Below are pics of the wine press dolly that was made with pressure treated lumber and 5" Stainless Steel casters. The dolly will allow the press to be moved around easily during pressing and subsequent cleaning. Notice that the plumbing is protected from accidental banging into a wall.

New Stainless Steel Wine Press

2007-06-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

This is the New Italian Bladder press. It has a 80 liter (21 gallon) capacity. It is operated by water pressure from a garden hose. Not show is that I have attached quick disconnects to the water input and output, and also a water valve at the input. I also have attached a short hose and quick disconnect coupler to the wine output side. This will allow gravity flow of the wine from pressing in the garage, to the carboys in the cellar. The press was made in Italy by Zambelli Enotech SRL in late 2006, and shipped to Woods Wine in February of 2007. The new Press will be used on the 2007 vintage. The beautiful old wooden basket press has been repaired by Woods Wine's Chief Mechanical Engineer (Jim), and will be kept as a back-up press.

Custom Wine Pump/Argon Gas Cart

2007-06-04T13:02:00.000-04:00

This custom built cart has the following features:

A detachable Wine Pump assembly that includes GFI outlets, variable low speed control, and lighted maximum pump speed switch that overrides the variable speed control. The pump has quick disconnects on both the input and the output sides. The pump has a remote on/off switch on an extension chord. The line cord is about 20 ft. long. The fact that the wine pump can be easily removed from the cart enables it to be used outside the cellar, e.g. transferring wine during the grape pressing in the garage upstairs.
An Argon tank that is chained to the cart to prevent high pressure accidental discharge if unit should be tipped over. The Argon tank has a regulator, a shutoff valve on the output side, and a fabricated gas spray nozzle with a copper tube extension for carboy insertion.

Custom Winery Sink and Plumbing

2007-06-04T12:41:00.000-04:00

This custom home winery sink is built with the following features:

Double laundry sink installed on extended legs to accomodate the existing sanitary drain
Hot and cold merged faucet for general purpose use
Kitchen Sink Sprayer (hot)
Bottle filler (hot)
Extra sturdy bottle presure washer (hot)

05-30-07 Yard Shots

2007-05-30T11:08:00.000-04:00

Introduction to Woods Wine

2007-05-29T22:20:00.001-04:00

The name Woods Wine was chosen because everything is at its best when consumed in the woods. Please enjoy a bottle of Woods Wine if you have one, in our favorite woods or yours...

Woods Wine is the third largest winemaking entity in Perinton, only in the shadow of our brethren Constellation Brands and Casa Larga. We make many types of wine at Woods Wine. Our winery has capacity to produce approximately 200 gallons of fine wine annually.

We currently have six French Hybrid wine grape cultivars in the vineyard:

Foch
Chambourcin (to be replaced with NY76 in the spring of '08)
Noiret
GR7
Corot Noir
Traminette

We also have two unknown grape varieties on an arbor, one white and one red. I have named these two Eleanora and Janusz. I have 40 trellis feet of Raspberries, 10 trellis feet of Blackberries, and a Gooseberry bush.

We have four pairs of fruit trees:

Peach
Plum
Apple
Pear

2007 improvements to the winery include:

New 42 liter Stainless Steel Italian Bladder press
Platforms with casters for both the crusher/destemmer and the press
Vastly improved system for the transportation of crushed and destemmed must using a low profile barrel dolly
Gravity flow system for transporting the pressed wine into the cellar

There are many outstanding Associates that help out with the Woods Wine operations:

Marika - Assistant Winemaker, Harvesting Specialist, and Chief Quality Control Consultant.
Jim - Migrant Worker from Kirkville NY, and Chief Mechanical Engineer.
Jesse and Nicole - Migrant Workers from Columbus, OH, and Wine Analysis Lab Consultants.
Amy - Migrant Worker from Chapel Hill NC, and Chief White Wine Advisor.
Nick and Kim - Nick and Kim, Migrant Workers from Ohio. Nick is the Logistics Consultant, and Kim is the First Aid Specialist during the harvest.
John and Nick - Vineyard Installation Consultants from Syracuse NY.
Aunt Gene - Migrant Worker from Camillus NY, also Chief Consultant on harvest techniques.
Annie & Thomas - Onondaga County Migrant Worker Bee Sting Advisors
Chelsie - Migrant Worker Fashion Consultant from Upstate NY.
Chandler and Steve - Migrant workers all the way from Minnesota. Chandler is the Recreation Director of the Vineyard, and Steve is Vineyard Floor Inspector and Consultant.