Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Social Distancing in the Vineyard.

I was hoping to avoid mentioning Covid-19 on Vinsanity altogether, if possible.  The coronavirus pandemic has already negatively impacted too many lives to give the darned thing any more publicity than it deserves.  (Be safe, stay healthy, peeps.)  But whilst driving out of Napa, to purchase chicken feed, I spotted this public service announcement sign in the Napa Valley College vineyard.  I suppose the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation and the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, sponsors of the sign, thought this was a simple way to illustrate safe social distancing for vineyard workers.
Being a bit of a pedant, it seems to me like this particular spacing would only work if a given vineyard was bilateral cordon trained (as in the signage).  In-row vine spacing can range from 3 to 12 feet and can be dependent on many factors; cultivar, soil fertility, canopy training system, rootstock selection, and so on.  (My Syrah vines would like 15 feet, but they have to make do with a measly 7 feet, poor babies.)  So, it looks I'm going to have to get my tape measure out to ascertain what constitutes safe distancing, between Vinodog 2 and I, in Vinoland's head-trained vineyard.  Titter, titter.
I can't think of a healthier place to be than out in the vineyard in these trying times.  But 8 feet in the vineyard and only 6 feet in the supermarket?  Hmm.  On a lighter note, I'm off outside to wrestle with the aforementioned Syrah.

2 comments:

New Hampshire Wineman said...

So well written!

Vinogirl said...

NHW: Thank you. I had intended no more than two sentences, got on a bit of a roll.