Growing grapes and making wine in Bellevue
Posted in gardening, rhubarb wine on May 29th, 2008
This time last year, I was trying to make up for lost time, “better late than never!” I thought as I belatedly weeded, watered, and fertilized. I didn’t want spindly plants this year, so I tended my rhubarb in March. The payoff came in May when I harvested 1 lb 14.5 oz (865 g), putting […]
Posted in climate & weather, gardening on May 26th, 2008
A cold April followed a cold March with the average high temperature 3.36 °F (1.87 °C) below normal and the average low temperature 2.50 °F (1.39 °C) below normal. May is almost over, and it feels like its warming up. I’ll post complete data when I have it.
A La Nina weather pattern gave us the […]
Posted in storage and aging, tasting on May 21st, 2008
Back in March, I wrote about freezing wine: that it can preserve an open bottle and even improve it. It was something I had to see to believe, and I did. I froze a half-full bottle of red wine for over a month, thawed it out, shook it up (that’s one of the steps!), and […]
Posted in competitions and events on May 18th, 2008
Shipping homemade wine is legal in the US, except via the Post Office (yes, I know how silly that sounds), but the policies of the various shipping companies are confusing. Mind numbingly specific and frustratingly vague at the same time, they seem to add up to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. To sort this […]
Posted in viticulture on May 6th, 2008
With the growing season off to a cold start, I’ve been thinking about how to grow the best grapes in a cool season. Cluster thinning and leaf pulling can help by maximizing sugar production, in a grape vine, and by making the most of the sugar it produces. Good canopy management will bring out the […]
Posted in competitions and events on May 1st, 2008
As I said in my previous post on shipping homemade wine, one of my readers and I are experimenting by shipping our wines to each other. He shipped two bottles of tomato wine, and they arrived in great shape - no breaks, no leaks. I sent back two bottles of mead. I hope they arrive […]