Napa Valley Viticultural Fair.

Just this last Thursday, Vinomaker and I attended the 2010 Napa Valley Viticultural Fair. This biennial event, held at the Napa Valley Expo and hosted by the Napa Valley Grape Growers, is a rather small affair, but none the less informative and entertaining - especially if you are a vine geek. I couldn't help but notice that it was a very green fair this year with an energy saving this, and a composting that.
Everyones favourite nemesis, and the current bane of grape growers, the European grapevine moth was the star of the show. Whilst the EGVM isn't the only vineyard pest it is the biggest threat to Napa and Sonoma grape growers, and the emphasis on eradicating this invasive insect is more than justified. There were many other pests in attendance that I got up close and personal with through the lens of a microscope, so many in fact that I am surprised I didn't have nightmares that night.
To aid in curing me of my creepy-crawly induced trauma, I participated in the complimentary wine social that was held at the conclusion of the event. There were a lot of wines that had been donated and I couldn't possibly get through them all, but I did my best. Here are my speed-tasting notes;

Elizabeth Rose 2008 Sauvignon blanc - tasty.
Cakebread 2009 SB - nice.
Honig 2009 SB - blah!
Cade 2009 SB - similarly blah!
Teaderman 2008 SB - am I in New Zealand? Grassy!
Detert 2006 Cabernet franc, Oakville - just plain delicious.
Piña 2006 CS - OK.
Hornberger 2006 CS, Rutherford - tastes unfinished, lacks finesse.
Elodian (Eddy Family) 2006 CS - nice.
Newton 2007 Claret - passable.
Teaderman 2005 CS, Oakville - thin and blah!
Cade 2007 CS, Howell Mtn - oak and sulphur with a cherry on top.
Larkmead 2006 Syrah - tastes like plastic, most likely Brett.
Paradigm 2006 Merlot, Oakville - rubbing alcohol or mouthwash? I can't decide.

There you have it! And, the Napa Valley Expo probably has a lot of dead patches of grass now because there was no dump bucket!

Do not disturb.

Seriously, who'd want to? Not me.
It looks like the European Grapevine Moth is being held at bay; so far, so good.
This insect trap, set by Napa County, seems to have captured nothing more egregious than a particular species of Cicadellidae and some Diptera. Thank goodness...Vinoland may survive the EGVM onslaught.

Plump it up!

Fruit set in Vinoland's Pinot gris block seems to have been very successful in 2010: the fruit looks fabulous.
The vines are nearing a transitional period right now - moving away from the stage when vegetal growth dominates to the stage that favours the enlargement and maturation of the fruit. I never get bored with observing the entire process.
Vinomaker is out in the vineyard applying the final sulphur application for this year (for which he is very grateful.) He went to a meeting last night about the European Grapevine moth, so I need to debrief him as to the latest on this bothersome pest...it's a war out there people!

In the vineyard piped the bluebird.

There is not too much going on in the vineyard at the moment, so I have a bit of a respite before I have to start shoot thinning.
This western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and his missus have moved into one of several ornamental bird houses that I have dotted around the vineyard. It has been a lot of fun watching them, first gathering nesting materials and now collecting insects to feed to their hungry brood. I just hope that while out on their foraging expeditions they round up some of those nasty European Grapevine Moths and feed them to their maturing young.