This will probably the last spray of the 2009 year.
JMS STYLET OIL
DITHANE
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Article about Jamison-Paul Vineyard
Here is an article by Steve Lawson in the Eden Daily News. The article will also be in the Madison Messenger and the Reidsville paper this week.
The fresh, sweet aroma of ripening grapes greets your senses long before you arrive at Jamison-Paul Vineyards on Sardis Church Road south of Madison. The sun rises above the horizon just enough to glisten off the dew on the vines Saturday morning as Jamie Webster begins his second harvest of the season with help from family and friends.
“It’s more work than most people realize, but it’s also a lot of fun if you have the right folks helping you,” Webster said.
Randy Jessup was already busy snipping heavy clusters of red cabernet sauvignon grapes from a vine by 7:30 a.m. and was quick to agree with Webster’s statement.
“My only exposure to grapes until I helped out with Jamie’s first harvest last week was to eat them,” Jessup said. “After a few hours working in the vines, all I wanted to do when I got home was go to bed.”
Those few hours in the vines earlier this month yielded about 3,200 pounds of red merlot grapes – a good yield for a third-leaf vineyard. Webster expected a similar yield for the cabernet crop.
“We got a small harvest of about 400 pounds the first year,” he said. “Last year was about 1,200 pounds for the merlot and 1,300 for the cabernet. But the weather this year has really helped produce a good crop.”
The dry summer, while not so good for many crops, is exactly what Webster says he needed for his vineyard.
“Too much rain can cause mildew and diseases in the vines,” he said. “When it’s fairly dry, the roots have to extend out farther in search of water and that helps bring in more nutrients and different flavors. It also helps make them stronger for the next year.”
Keeping his vines healthy and the grapes of high quality has always held the top spot on Webster’s priority list. His 800 vines of red grapes – divided evenly between merlot and cabernet sauvignon – are precisely spaced at six feet apart and rows are separated by 10 feet to allow a tractor to maneuver between them.
The vines are sprayed more than 20 times per year and even the selection of red grapes was carefully calculated.
“I had already chosen white chardonnay grapes when one of my professors from Surry Community College suggested red grapes,” Webster said. “The chardonnay grapes are pretty easily grown in North Carolina, and he told me if I could find a way to grow good red grapes I would never have trouble finding buyers.”
He took that suggestion and has met with the predicted success. All of the grapes from Jamison-Paul Vineyards go directly to Stonefield Cellars Winery in Stokedale. Webster said Stonefield owner Robert Wurz has been highly complimentary of the vineyard’s crops.
“He said ours were some of the cleanest, highest quality grapes he receives,” Webster said. “And that’s exactly what we’ve always tried to produce, because the old saying is that the wine is actually made in the fields.”
The way to ensure that is to constantly monitor the grapes to make sure the sugar content and pH levels are correct, and to make certain the crop receives proper sunlight exposure.
The road to success was hardly simple for Webster. His first experience met with disaster.
“When I first decided to try growing grapes, I got some plants from Lowe’s and planted them,” he said. “They all died.”
That’s when Webster decided he needed a little more knowledge about the proper way to start and work a vineyard. He studied viticulture at Surry Community College and began to cultivate a good working relationship with other local vineyard owners.
“The great thing about the local vineyard industry is that it’s small enough that no one is trying to steal your business,” Webster said. “Everyone is ready and willing to help each other, because we’re all just interested in growing a stronger vineyard industry in North Carolina.”
Webster is a third generation farmer on the land his family owns in southwest Rockingham County. The 1-acre section occupied by the vineyard sits on a 100-acre plot off Sardis Church Road. Another 200 acres is scattered around the area.
“This has traditionally been tobacco farm land and a lot of it is still used to grow tobacco,” Webster said. “I decided to try grapes in this one section and, so far, it’s been successful. But it’s still a family business and we even still use the John Deere tractor my grandfather bought when he bought the land back in the 50s.”
Even the name of the vineyard bears witness to the family tradition – uniting Webster’s first name, Jamison, with his grandfather’s, Paul.
“The vineyard just adds a new dimension to a family tradition,” Webster said.
As Webster’s father, Jimmy, cranks the tractor to haul another load of grapes to the holding tanks, his son, Caden, 3, races to catch a ride. Webster picks him up and climbs on the sled weighed down with tubs of cabernet grapes.
Webster’s wife, Jennifer, looks up from her work in the vines as the tractor roars to life. She watches for a moment as the three generations of Webster men ride off on the freshly painted 60-year-old tractor.
“Yeah, it’s in the blood,” she says.
By Steve LawsonPublished: September 13, 2009
The fresh, sweet aroma of ripening grapes greets your senses long before you arrive at Jamison-Paul Vineyards on Sardis Church Road south of Madison. The sun rises above the horizon just enough to glisten off the dew on the vines Saturday morning as Jamie Webster begins his second harvest of the season with help from family and friends.
“It’s more work than most people realize, but it’s also a lot of fun if you have the right folks helping you,” Webster said.
Randy Jessup was already busy snipping heavy clusters of red cabernet sauvignon grapes from a vine by 7:30 a.m. and was quick to agree with Webster’s statement.
“My only exposure to grapes until I helped out with Jamie’s first harvest last week was to eat them,” Jessup said. “After a few hours working in the vines, all I wanted to do when I got home was go to bed.”
Those few hours in the vines earlier this month yielded about 3,200 pounds of red merlot grapes – a good yield for a third-leaf vineyard. Webster expected a similar yield for the cabernet crop.
“We got a small harvest of about 400 pounds the first year,” he said. “Last year was about 1,200 pounds for the merlot and 1,300 for the cabernet. But the weather this year has really helped produce a good crop.”
The dry summer, while not so good for many crops, is exactly what Webster says he needed for his vineyard.
“Too much rain can cause mildew and diseases in the vines,” he said. “When it’s fairly dry, the roots have to extend out farther in search of water and that helps bring in more nutrients and different flavors. It also helps make them stronger for the next year.”
Keeping his vines healthy and the grapes of high quality has always held the top spot on Webster’s priority list. His 800 vines of red grapes – divided evenly between merlot and cabernet sauvignon – are precisely spaced at six feet apart and rows are separated by 10 feet to allow a tractor to maneuver between them.
The vines are sprayed more than 20 times per year and even the selection of red grapes was carefully calculated.
“I had already chosen white chardonnay grapes when one of my professors from Surry Community College suggested red grapes,” Webster said. “The chardonnay grapes are pretty easily grown in North Carolina, and he told me if I could find a way to grow good red grapes I would never have trouble finding buyers.”
He took that suggestion and has met with the predicted success. All of the grapes from Jamison-Paul Vineyards go directly to Stonefield Cellars Winery in Stokedale. Webster said Stonefield owner Robert Wurz has been highly complimentary of the vineyard’s crops.
“He said ours were some of the cleanest, highest quality grapes he receives,” Webster said. “And that’s exactly what we’ve always tried to produce, because the old saying is that the wine is actually made in the fields.”
The way to ensure that is to constantly monitor the grapes to make sure the sugar content and pH levels are correct, and to make certain the crop receives proper sunlight exposure.
The road to success was hardly simple for Webster. His first experience met with disaster.
“When I first decided to try growing grapes, I got some plants from Lowe’s and planted them,” he said. “They all died.”
That’s when Webster decided he needed a little more knowledge about the proper way to start and work a vineyard. He studied viticulture at Surry Community College and began to cultivate a good working relationship with other local vineyard owners.
“The great thing about the local vineyard industry is that it’s small enough that no one is trying to steal your business,” Webster said. “Everyone is ready and willing to help each other, because we’re all just interested in growing a stronger vineyard industry in North Carolina.”
Webster is a third generation farmer on the land his family owns in southwest Rockingham County. The 1-acre section occupied by the vineyard sits on a 100-acre plot off Sardis Church Road. Another 200 acres is scattered around the area.
“This has traditionally been tobacco farm land and a lot of it is still used to grow tobacco,” Webster said. “I decided to try grapes in this one section and, so far, it’s been successful. But it’s still a family business and we even still use the John Deere tractor my grandfather bought when he bought the land back in the 50s.”
Even the name of the vineyard bears witness to the family tradition – uniting Webster’s first name, Jamison, with his grandfather’s, Paul.
“The vineyard just adds a new dimension to a family tradition,” Webster said.
As Webster’s father, Jimmy, cranks the tractor to haul another load of grapes to the holding tanks, his son, Caden, 3, races to catch a ride. Webster picks him up and climbs on the sled weighed down with tubs of cabernet grapes.
Webster’s wife, Jennifer, looks up from her work in the vines as the tractor roars to life. She watches for a moment as the three generations of Webster men ride off on the freshly painted 60-year-old tractor.
“Yeah, it’s in the blood,” she says.
2009 Harvest Is Complete!!!
Yesterday we harvested our last variety in the vineyard...Cab Sauv. Harvesting these babies were alot different than harvesting the Merlots because of the damage the birds and bees had on them. Again like last year (not as bad as last year) we had to make sure we got the damaged fruit out of the clusters before dropping them in the bins. This took time, patience and alot of good help. I want to thank Jennifer, Jeff, Randy, Mike, Ryan, Larry, Mom and Ceaser for their help, because with out them this would not have been completed in one day.
Because of these peoples help we were able to deliver 2884 lbs of fruit to winery. We were also able to bring in good numbers...Brix=21.5 and Ph 3.50. This is a great accomplishment for our vineyard and our vineyard staff. It shows that hard work pays off.
Now our goal for next year is to learn from our mistakes, become more educated about diseases and continue to produce good quality grapes for our winery. I also want to thank Stonefield Cellars for working with us and giving us the opportunity to show them that we can grow good quality wine grapes in North Carolina.
Stay tuned for pictures!!
Because of these peoples help we were able to deliver 2884 lbs of fruit to winery. We were also able to bring in good numbers...Brix=21.5 and Ph 3.50. This is a great accomplishment for our vineyard and our vineyard staff. It shows that hard work pays off.
Now our goal for next year is to learn from our mistakes, become more educated about diseases and continue to produce good quality grapes for our winery. I also want to thank Stonefield Cellars for working with us and giving us the opportunity to show them that we can grow good quality wine grapes in North Carolina.
Stay tuned for pictures!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Cab Sauv. Harvest this Saturday 12th of Sept.
Alright the end of our 2009 season will come to an end this weekend. Tonight I sat down with our winemaker and we made the descision to harvest our Cab Sauv. grapes this weekend, September 12. We will start around 6:30 and should be done sometime around 1:00.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Cab Sauv Test
We tested our Cab Sauv. tonight.
Brix=21.5
Ph=3.52
We spoke with the wine maker tonight and he said that he wanted to see a cluster tomorrow to see if we needed to harvest or wait. I would really like to harvest this weekend because the bees are really damaging the fruit.
We will see!!!
Brix=21.5
Ph=3.52
We spoke with the wine maker tonight and he said that he wanted to see a cluster tomorrow to see if we needed to harvest or wait. I would really like to harvest this weekend because the bees are really damaging the fruit.
We will see!!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Cab Sauv. Numbers
We tested our Cab Sauv. numbers yesterday.
Brix-19
Ph-3.55
It looks like we will be harvesting next weekend. We really need to get these harvested before the bees and birds eat these up.
Brix-19
Ph-3.55
It looks like we will be harvesting next weekend. We really need to get these harvested before the bees and birds eat these up.
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