Thats right we are going to be at the parking lot tasting at Daveco this Saturday, May 31. There will be multiple Colorado wineries pouring their wines from 12pm - 4pm and the best part is that it's all FREE! It's supposed to be a beautiful day so come down to the Colorado Wine Tasting at Daveco Liquors. Daveco Liquors is located at 16434 N Washington St, Thornton, CO 80023. Click here to link to a map of the area.
Last week we had some close calls with frost in the vineyards. Another week of warm weather will hopefully get as past the danger of frost. The old peach growers say that then when the neck of the goose shaped snowfield breaks (melts) then the danger of frost is past. The goose is on the flanks of Grand Mesa and can be seen in the center of the picture above the peach trees. In the picture it is facing to the left. With the extra snow this year and the cooler then usual temperatures it is taking longer this year to get past the frost danger. We are blessed with good vineyard locations that have natural winds that keep the frosts away. Most orchards and vineyards in the Palisade area require large fan units to keep the winds away. This requires getting up in the middle of the night to start the fans and to keep them running. Because of our location we do not even own fan units. The extra investment in buying good vineyard locations is paying off.
The grapes are waking up in the vineyard. This year we are about a week behind last year due to the cool spring. So far winter kill is minimal and the buds look healthy. It's an extremely busy time of year for the farmers in the area, whether they're growing peaches or grapes. Weeds need to be kept under control, irrigation systems need to be seasonalized (and usually cracked pipes need repairing), and it's time to plant. Besides in-fill plantings, in which older vines and blank spaces in the vine rows are replaced by new plantings, we replaced 3/4 of an acre of Orange Muscat with White Riesling. In late March the vines came from the nursery tightly wrapped in bundles. We planted them with spacing of 5 feet in 8 foot rows. This year we'll irrigate in the trench they've been planted to insure plenty of water to their limited root system. It's important that the grapes avoid stress their first year. Next year, with a developed root system the real growing begins. Meanwhile, the dormant buds have come out of their shells and pushed shoots out. We wait anxiously to see what this years canopy will deliver. 
