State of the Grape Address

It’s been a scary few weeks for grape growers in Sonoma and Napa Counties, what with two long-lasting, drenching and unseasonable storms hitting us at the end of growing season. The problem with late season rain on vineyards is that, just when you are trying to get the grapes to concentrate their flavors (most of us have turned off irrigation for the last month or so), a sudden...

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

After a few weeks’ hiatus, we’re back up at the ranch to see how things are progressing. With just about everything in dormancy, that means nothing is really progressing anywhere. But it makes for a good opportunity to put on cowboy gear and sleep in a barn. As you heard in a recent post, the only crop I have going are the Brussels Sprouts, which I’m afraid are...