Naming of the Vines

I made a decision yesterday regarding the silly little vines I have growing.  I think some refer to classification as Taxonomy.   Either way, this is what I came up with (I'll do my best to refer to all vines as such from here on out):

Cabernet Sauvignon vines

Cabernet Sauvignon 01-2008 (St. Louis, Missouri vine)
Cabernet Sauvignon 01-2010 (Chicago, IL vine) - planted as a cutting in a pot this late winter/early spring 2010.
Cabernet Sauvignon 02-2010 (Chicago, IL vine) - same
Cabernet Sauvignon 03-2010 (Chicago, IL vine) - same
Cabernet Sauvignon 04-2010 (Chicago, IL vine) - same

Syrah vines

Syrah 01-2009 (Chicago, IL vine) - planted in September 2009
Syrah 02-2009 (Chicago, IL vine) - planted in September 2009
Syrah 03-2009 (St. Louis, MO vine) - located at family home in St. Louis, Missouri

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I hope to be able to do the same for the Cabernet Franc, La Crescent, and Frontenac vines, but time will tell if I have success in getting them to grow.  Also, I have been quite remiss by misspelling the La Crescent grape vines (been wrongly spelling it as 'Le Crescent').  I am embarrassed I didn't catch that earlier, I need a Copy Editor, I guess.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to report the following:

Cabernet Franc 01-2010 (Chicago, IL vine)
Cabernet Franc 02-2010
Cabernet Franc 03-2010
Cabernet Franc 04-2010

Frontenac 01-2010 (Glen Ellyn, IL vine)
Frontenac 02-2010

La Crescent 01-2010 (Glen Ellyn, IL vine)
La Crescent 02-2010
La Crescent 03-2010 (Grayslake, IL vine)

Last night I had occasion to look at Syrah 01-2009 and it came up with another 3 leaves or so.  I meant to take a yardstick out to measure how tall it is at the current.  Best guess would put the young vine at nearly 14 inches tall already.  As I walked away and went back into the apartment I couldn't help but be grateful that I have been documenting this with the lens because I immediately go back to that photo nearly 2 months ago in early April 2010 when I noticed bud break.  

And, on another incredible update, a friend offered to play host to the final La Crescent grape vine that was purchased from Double A Vineyards in Fredonia, NY.  This last La Crescent is already in the soil and resides in Grayslake, Illinois (Lake County Illinois).  It will receive plenty of southern facing sunlight and I hear the drainage will be exceptional.  It might turn out to be the best grower of the batch.  I am thrilled, this will be La Crescent 03-2010, if it gets established.



60 degrees this morning.  Yesterday, actually, nearing 7:15PM, it was just like a typical autumn day in the Midwest.   The sunlight was pristine, as were the skies.  Shame I wasn't out enough.  Bloody current job!!!!

Since we are doing maps, here is one of Glen Ellyn, IL, as well.



That's all for now!  Have a grand weekend.

May 27 2010 update - Thursday

Southeast Logan Square has seen a series of 80-degree days this week. The lows did not even get into the 50's. The urban/residential garden is progressing very well and impressively. I don't have any photo updates because my camera battery charger is at a friend's house, actually in Glen Ellyn, IL.

Listening to the Dwight Yoakam channel on www.Pandora.com right now.

Rudy McClain created the documentary 'Merlove' and he recently sat down with Gary Vaynerchuk from WineLibrary TV last autumn 2009 to talk about his film, which was a response to the movie 'Sideways' featuring Paul Giamatti. Here is a link to the conversation with Gary V:

http://tv.winelibrary.com/2009/11/25/merlove-episode-775/


Here's a link to one of the more popular scenes from the movie 'Sideways', the one referred to above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiOuroHPxRQ

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Rudy McClain also sat down with a fella from the website, www.winecast.net.   A link to that podcast is here:

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/7374386

The author of www.winecast.net is Tim Elliott, a bit of information about him can be found at:

http://winecast.net/about/


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Side Note:  I determined a few days back that Louie, the black dog in St. Louis isn't capable of eating the grapes.  I have zero acquaintance with Louie's personality, but I thought I would mention another great vineyard dog, from Canada - Mr. Bones (Newmicon's dog):

http://www.youtube.com/user/Newmicon#p/u/23/m9IYMTRnlY4

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The impulse to mention the doc 'Merlove' was realizing that there are a good many wonderful podcasts available for FREE on iTunes, and I don't even own an iPod.  It is great.  Check the iTunes download location the next time you think of wine podcasts.  That is where I originally came upon the interview between Tim Elliot and Rudy McClain from WineCast.

Also, in re-listening to the podcasts from www.winemakingradio.com, I listened more closely to one rascal from North Dakota, named Gary Cook, he runs The Valley Vine - an online newsletter featuring updates from the Red River Valley in northwestern Minnesota/eastern North Dakota.  I enjoyed his insight into many matters involving wine making and wine tasting.  A link to that conversation, again, is:

http://www.winemakingradio.com/wmr/Episode22.asx


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As far as growth goes, it appears that new leaves are arriving at a rate of two new leaves every four days, from what can be observed thus far.  Perhaps there will be an increase for the next 40 days and then a plateau.  Great progress moving forward despite the worst of locations for plantings.

One final mention is that I now have a fourth Cabernet Sauvignon cutting that has experienced bud break in the past 56 hours or so, this is the batch cut from my parents' vine in St. Louis MO.  This one will be called Cabernet #4.  It was great news to hear from my roommate as she informed me the old way - by us having a conversation through the window as I was in the garden.

Happy growing!

90 degrees for a high on Monday May 24, 2010

Gotta tell ya'all that the weather up here in north suburbs of Chicago is incredible at the moment. 8:41PM, moon above, still ascending. 83 degrees at the moment, and a lovely little breeze to take the hint of heat off the skin.

I am going to pass on a link that I have found perhaps more helpful than www.wunderground.com, which I have to say is very difficult to compete with - apart from Tom Skilling at WGN News:

http://www.accuweather.com/forecast-hourly.asp?partner=netweather&zipcode=60647

I am pretty pleased with their hour by hour reading of the temperatures. As well, I like how they measure out moonrise/moonset for everyone. Very neat features.

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Update on Cabernet Sauvignon #3 is that there is already another leaf, exactly one week after bud break. I failed to take a photo, but will tomorrow night.

Mars Seedless grape vine

Syrah grape vine #1. This is a view from the top.

Joe Pye Weed is probably double what it was since the last photo that listed on this here blog.

74 degrees at 6:56AM on May 24 2010 Monday

Couple of housekeeping items to update.

List:
1. Correction for www.winemakingradio.com, provide specific link to podcast
2. Eliminate possibility of canine destruction to vine in St. Louis, MO.
3. Wine of the day/weekend.
4. Photo update of Southeast Logan Square garden.

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To start, the photo of the black canine is the resident pup at my folks' home.  Apparently Louie is/was a Mother's Day gift from one of my siblings and the respective spouse.  I have yet to meet the pup, but I don't think he can reach the vines up above.  That source of vine destruction is eliminated.   The dog stays.

Also, I actually thought I could go to a more precise page for the podcast I mentioned a few days back with the folks from the University of Minnesota Grape Breeding and Enology Project, but the page only takes one to a list of podcast archives:

http://www.winemakingradio.com/archived2518.html

Wine of the Day/Weekend

Regarding the Bogle Petite Sirah, I think I mentioned that a friend told me that they were beginning to enjoy Petite Sirahs. Thus, I tried to track one of these varietals down for my own bad self. The bottle ran me about $11.99 before tax. With respect to the flavor of the beverage, no complaints. This is probably obvious to most, but I felt like I should've had it with some food to enjoy it properly. The color of the wine was gorgeous in the glass, actually. I do recall having great interest in the depth of the colour as it rested in the glass.

Garden Photos from Sunday May 23, 2010 (Southeast Logan Square - Chicago, IL)

I was a little overwhelmed by the Willamette Hops' growth in recent weeks. These vines are exploding. Note the size of the leaves. READ: Out of CONTROL!!!!!!!!

Gorgeous 2nd Year Clematis. Again, remember, it is only May 23 2010 in this photo. I am so impressed by the growth of these plants. It'll be a great summer of colour, for sure.

Syrah vine # 1. This beaut is completely planted in the wrong place, but danged if I am not going to plow along and get it to grow as best as possible.

Syrah vine # 2. I actually like the entire picture, but the vine is also looking really great as it develops.

Something is eating the grapes in St. Louis MO - Cabernet Sauvignon vine

Just got off the horn with my folks in St. Louis, Missouri. They have the parent Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine. The report is that even with the netting up over the vines and shoots, to ward off the appetite of the local avian species, still there is something eating the grapes. I didn't have time to follow-up as the call was brief. Not sure if the leaves are also affected, or just the fruits/flowers. Could be a squirrel, could be a pest that I still have yet to learn about.

Today I also came across a fabulous piece from a fellow at Virginia Tech, Fritz Westover. Excellent little presentation on Pruning, Anatomy of a Vine, other questions, etc.

LINK:

http://connect.ag.vt.edu/westover1/


In Southeast Logan Square it is already 90 degrees Fahrenheit!!! Yikes. Lots of growth from what I can tell in the garden. All is well.


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Mid-80's for highs/ 60's for lows .........forecasted for the next 3 days in Chicagoland

1 of (2) Frontenac grape vines planted this morning in Glen Ellyn, IL.

With temperatures the way they are forecasted, there will be PLENTY of prime growing going on this week.

A bit more information regarding the LeCrescent and Frontenac grape vines. This week I came upon an excellent website/resource for learning more about this entire endeavor: http://www.winemakingradio.com/

The website is excellent. I have only listened to a few programs thus far, but I am looking forward to cracking open the archives as the months advance. Today, however, I did happen to click on one of the archived podcasts and the particular podcast I chose consisted of an interview with two of the professors at the University of Minnesota Grape Breeding and Enology Project, Professor James Luby and Professor Anna Katharine Mansfield. Professor Mansfield seems to have moved on and is currently an Assistant Professor of Enology at Cornell University in Geneva, New York. And what did they touch on during the conversation? Frontenac grapes and LeCrescent grapes. Serendipity? I can't guess best, to be honest.

Tonight's wine is Yellow Tail Pinot Noir. The price was $5.99. By this time the readers realize that I endeavor to find virtue in the more accessibly priced wines of the world. Yellow Tail, in my opinion, is nearing the ubiquity of some of the larger brewers in the beer industry. I don't mind Yellow Tail at all, believe me. I doubt that Bin 36 offers Yellow Tail on its wine list. It is getting to the level of what Carlo Rossi has become in my mind. Drinking Rossi was always more about quantity. I remember even grabbing the larger bottles of Yellow Tail in recent years because the price was right for a folk musician like myself. Tonight's bottle is simply a 750ml.

So far, the glass of Pinot Noir is going down nicely. Again, I don't have a palette for identifying notes just yet. I am not protesting in the least. Initially, I actually thought the wine was 'hollow in the mid-palette', as Gary Vaynerchuk would suggest. But I soon realized that I needed a few more rounds of intake to get better acquainted with the wine.

And, again, I can't say enough good about Double A Vineyards in Fredonia, NY. The grape vines are wonderful that they sent me. Support them, buy from them. Good people.

LeCrescent and Frontenac vines were planted this morning! - Saturday May 22 2010

Short on time. These are photo updates from planting 4 of the 5 vines this morning. I still have 1 LeCrescent vine to plant. The roots were brilliant as they came out of the packaging.

The wine of the Evening - Pinecroft - Cabernet Sauvignon

Just an update on the wine of the evening. I had a couple of glasses from a bottle of Pinecroft tonight. I had never heard of it prior, but a co-worker gave me a bottle a few days back. This was a Cabernet Sauvignon. Took a few photos. The co-worker said it was very in-expensive, so much so that he bought a case. Having said that, it gives you a notion of about how much it might have cost. The price is right for folks like me that work in Social Services. I don't have any notes to speak of when drinking this, I just want to live until I am 97 years old for having enjoyed wonderful wines for the rest of this life.

It is a bit late in the evening. I'd love to provide a website for this vineyard, however nothing is listed on the back label of the bottle. And, with a Google search nothing is coming up. One reviewer seemed to link this wine to Concannon Vineyards in Livermore, CA. When you go to their website, they have a wonderful video collage of photos covering the history of the vineyard. They seem, also, to be pretty savvy with getting their information on the internets and are seemingly very accessible with the technology available. I'll definitely come back to their website soon.

Enjoy!

the vines have arrived!!!!!!! LeCrescent and Frontenac vines

The LeCrescent and Frontenac vines arrived 2 days ago. I need to get them in the ground, but, either way, this fella is pretty thrilled. So far I am very impressed with the product and customer service that Double A Vineyards provides the client. Real swell company to work with, from what I gather thus far.

The vines within this bag will be drawing from the 'terroir' constituent of the soils of Glen Ellyn, IL. A close friend has been generous enough to offer a nice sized segment of their backyard to allow for planting these cold-hardy vines. I am terribly grateful, they are as well. More to come.... Until then, these are the photos of how the vines were packaged.

Double A Vineyards (Fredonia, NY)
website: www.rakgrape.com

Note: With the purchase, the company also sent along a beautiful catalog displaying the products that they sell and grow on their land. It is very much an information-soaked document. This, I am beginning to compare to my purchase of Cabernet Franc cuttings in late Feb 2010. That grower didn't send much at all in the way of info.

And finally, last night's bottle of choice was a Bogle Petite Sirah. My reasoning was two-fold:

Reason A: The price was right. ($11.99)

Reason B: A friend recommended the vino because it is becoming one of their current favorites.

Bogle Vineyards (Click on the hyperlinked name and that'll get you there.)

The cold hardy vines are arriving soon!

There will be Le Crescent and Frontenac vines going into the ground soon. 5 vines will arrive in the next few hours. Here's the proof:

Everything showing up in the brown truck will be shipped from Fredonia, NY, all made possible by the folks at Double A Vineyards.

Black Squirrel on the Prowl

Syrah Grape vine # 2.   These leaves are beautiful.

Syrah Grape vine # 1, good to see how progress has come along since the photos began weeks ago.

As I was watering the Willamette Hops yesterday morning there was a protest from the gallery.  This black squirrel came up the tree from its base and stuck its head up and locked its eyes on me, it felt like two laser beams on my chest as I had hose in hand flowing with gushing water.  I don't think it was too pleased with my presence.  I was able to pull the trusty old camera from my right pocket before he/she darted up the neighbor's tree.

This is Syrah Grape vine # 1 from above the growth.

Mars Seedless grape vine. These leaves are getting big.


This Black Squirrel was seen last year, probably in August or September 2009, in the tree immediately in front of the apartment. Apparently the animal found a mate and the two created a family since then. My roommate reports having seen two offspring in recent weeks.

3rd Cabernet Sauvignon cutting - quick update

Short on time. Here are a few update photos from this morning. This is post bud break on Cabernet Sauvignon cutting #3.

The weather is supposed to warm up in the coming 24 hours, with an expected high of 81 degrees on Saturday. Right now I am going back to get update photos of the vines back at the ranch. That update is coming later today.

Thanks for reading.

Bud Break!!!!!! Cabernet Sauvignon bud break!!!!

What we have here folks is bud break on my 3rd Cabernet Sauvignon cutting this spring.  Time to dance everyone!  Grab a partner, turn the music up, put on your shoes (or, for Woody Woodpecker fans, take your shoes off for the Sock Hop!), throw on your best dancing clothes.  Time to celebrate another success for this amateur gardener.  I am feeling pretty good about this.  The leaves are remarkable as they are shaped as simply smaller versions of what will come to be very large leaves on the formed vine.

As a matter of fact, I think listening to the song 'Going the Distance' by Cake will be a great way to begin the dance party.  This vineyard is going the distance.  Not too sure about going for speed. We want this to be an endurance effort.  Distance running for this vineyard and these vines.

Very, Very encouraging news.  Also, I received a catalogue from Double A Vineyards out of Fredonia, NY.  Excellent information in that little book.  The folks at Double A have been in the business for 20 years. 

Yesterday I shared a bottle of Pinot Noir with my roommate.  I tried to take some cheezy photos for use as a banner for this blog.  See the photos just beneath.  Totally not done well as there are two glasses of Pinot Noir and two cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon on the hardwood floor.  The Pinot was a Gallo selection. I purposely tried it because recently I came upon an interview featuring Kai Ryssdal from NPR's Marketplace and Joseph Gallo. Follow the link to listen to the interview:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/16/growing_up_in_the_wine_industry/

The day after turbulent weather - May 14 2010

I took this shot because of the contrast provided by the Cottonwood Tree, which also happens to be my favorite tree in the Midwest. The skies were pristine in the morning.  A wonderful day after.

I loved this view because it is the story of every tulip:  a short burst of beauty and then they are done for the year (all told, at best, 3 weeks total).  Pretty great how they get the world started in the springtime, but their mission is very pointed and a brief one.

The view of the Second City from the main office.  Pretty great view, only possible the day after a storm rolls on through the area and scours the air.  I am not sure what it looks like at night, I wonder if it rivals Mulholland Drive's view at night.  Never been to Mulholland to check it out.  Taken May 14, 2010 Friday.