Happy Domaine de Manion Grapes

This year has certainly been a time of reflection at Domaine de Manion. It seems like while the outside world has been ever changing and experiencing unchartered territories, our vineyard has been constant and steady doing what it likes best, growing a great Syrah grape for us!

We, being my husband John and I, first planted our vineyard in 2006, dropped the fruit the first two years, so 2020 will be our twelfth harvest. It promises to be a great harvest with a high yield, and gorgeous clusters that give us reason to smile. Some of the grapevines are yielding more than 25 grape clusters per vine. It is often said that the best fertilizer for a vineyard is the vineyard manager’s footsteps, and this year we have been in the vineyard even more following shelter in place.

In the beginning it was one big experiment. Whether we had a good location for a vineyard? Could we grow a good grape? Could we find vineyard experts to help us get started? Could we learn to manage a vineyard? Could we make good wine? All unknown.

We pushed through the unknowns, being ahead of the curve as far as backyard vineyards go. Now backyard vineyards are prolific in San Diego County with all of their great attributes: 1) four-season beauty and interest, 2) drought tolerant, 3) capability to make wine, 4) becomes a wonderful lifestyle, 5) attracts great people and friends domestically and internationally.

It is a lot of work, and time consuming at times, as farming is. Some years are better than others, and we learn something new each year with our vineyard. It is a constant reminder that life is unpredictable. For now this year, our grapes and harvest promise to be an especially great one.

I encourage all of you, if you have an idea, dream, or goal, go for it! Even if you hear a few naysayers, and especially if it something that sticks in your mind. Follow it, and don’t stop at the first “no.” You never know what fruit it will bear!

It is the special time of year in our Syrah vineyard when the grapes begin to show their color and start their verasion process. Grapes turn from green and hard to the touch, to their first blush of color and softer to the touch. Verasion in our vineyard tells us we are about 8 weeks away from our harvest, give or take the ensuing weather leading up to the harvest.

With grape clusters turning color, it is necessary to net every grapevine row to protect our harvest crop from attentive wildlife and even our free-range chickens. See my previous post on this for more information, Vineyard Ready for Netting.

For our backyard vineyard, netting takes about an hour and a half, with enthusiastic friends who lend a helping hand.

Nets have been carefully rolled up and stored since last year's harvest. Nets will stay in good shape, and can be used year after year for the vineyard. The netting is rolled out, and taking the leading net edge hoisted over the top of each row so the netting covers equally both sides of the grapevines, and essentially the entire vineyard row. Next we take simple wooden clip clothes pins and clip together the netting. The entire vineyard row with netting is clipped underneath the vines and around the end posts.

Many thanks to our friends who helped this weekend! This year our friend, Karen Contreras, owner of Urban Plantations, joined us for the netting process. Urban Plantations specializes in the design and maintenance of edible landscaping around San Diego County.

Please share if you have problems with wildlife eating your ripening fruit or grapevines? Simple netting is a simple way to protect your harvest.

It is that time of year. The vineyard is abundant with grape clusters, and the veraison process is just beginning. Veraison is the stage or process when the green grapes begin transitioning from hard to soft to the touch, and their color changes from green to eventually their particular harvest color, depending on the grape varietal. In our case, mature syrah grapes are almost black in color at harvest.

We net the vineyard for protection reasons. It is the same concept, if you net or protect fruit trees with sun-ripened ready fruit. Birds of all kinds (even domestic chickens), and wildlife such as raccoons, coyotes, can feast on a vineyard and in some cases quickly eat your entire crop for the year. We have heard of vineyard owners who had their unprotected vineyard  crop eaten in a weekend. Please note, netting is a good practice and economical for backyard vineyards. Commercial wine regions that have acres and acres of vineyards are not usually netted.

Netting is a simple way to protect your harvest. The optimum net size is the entire length of a grapevine row plus two feet extra per end post to cover end posts. Nets are rolled out along side the grapevine row. Thrown over the row of grapevines, and clipped at both end posts and and at each grapevine above the drip irrigation with wooden clothespins. A netting source in California is Jim's Supply .

Right before harvest, we have our enthusiastic friends and family remove the clothes pins, and roll up the netting for the next year. Please share if you use netting to protect a crop from wildlife.