Finally you can hear the sounds of the tractor in the vineyard - a sure sign that spring is really here. Unfortunately, that tractor is disking the lower third of our riesling vineyard, which was ripped out due to phylloxera last winter. The tractor is preparing the ground for replanting in a week or so. It was a sad thing for all of us when the crew started ripping out those vines that were approaching their thirtieth birthday. However, with springtime comes hope and we are very optimistic that our replanting program will go well. We know so much more now, than pioneers like Fred and Mary Benoit did when they first planted that vineyard at the end of the 70's. The new plantings will be far denser and of clones on root stocks selected for Oregon.
Our Riesling vineyard is very much part of the personality of our winery as not only is it an historic vineyard for Oregon, it is on the hillside directly in front of the winery. Those of you who visit us this year won't be able to miss this replanting program as there will be a wide swath of just planted vines right next to the old vines dying of phylloxera. Our replanting program for our riesling vineyard will take place over three years, with one third being replanted each year. This means there will not be much Anne Amie Riesling for the next five years or more as the first crop we can expect from these new vines will be in three years and a return to full production may take a decade.
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