VINES are looking pretty good generally, but once again we are also having another season with a lot of disease pressure – the best you can say about the end of 2023 and the start of another year is the nitrogen which comes with the rain has been helpful, promoting good growth in the vines.
The grapes themselves are going through the ripening stage, and as they start to accumulate sugar, botrytis develops following rain and humid weather – especially if the grapes split.
We are seeing some botrytis on early varieties and, really, we would just like the continuing wet and humid weather to simply p*** off.
The top working program of a couple of patches is going well, and we expect to get some fruit from the fiano next year if it keeps growing well.
I have observed some 24D symptoms from some spray drift on some vines, which is disappointing. If we get some on the top worked young vines they will not continue to grow and I will not be happy!
The spraying-off of fruit in the cabernet worked pretty well, following no hope of selling that fruit this year.
The vines require less water with them not carrying a full crop.
Many of the prices offered for red varieties this year are already under $200/tonne – and that is a price which is way under the cost of production.
There has been talk lately about the markup of fruit and vegie prices at the supermarkets.
By comparison, market prices of less than $200/t equates to the wine grower receiving less than 20c per bottle for their effort in producing a $10 bottle of wine.
As grape cockies we are a resilient mob, but some will have struggled to keep their vineyards up to scratch with the current combination of our weather issues and the low prices we are being offered. Keep in touch with your mates.
The ants have also been incredibly interesting to watch as they have been preparing for the recent rain events, building high mounds around their ant nests.
However, one local mob of bull ants took it to another level when I found the old Chamberlain loader near their nest one morning.
The ants must have gotten the loader out of the shed and used it to put a serious bank all around the entrance to their ant nest.
You can sort of see how a bunch of ants might link up arms and legs to steer and change gears on the loader, but not having a battery in it, meant the buggers must have somehow actually push-started the loader.
