Growing Season 2022: The Summer Heat Has Arrived

A cooler than average Spring resulted in a later start to the season with budburst happening throughout the first week of June. The tender new shoots thrived slowly but surely throughout the rest of the month, with our lower block of Chardonnay leading the way. We also established a new 1.7 acre block of Chardonnay this year and the Spring conditions offered a most hospitable environment for the young vines going into the ground. What a perfect year for planting!

The hot Okanagan temperatures arrived just at the right time at the beginning of July and our vineyard team is now working tirelessly to keep up with the growth. Canopy management is a meticulous and crucial task to ensure optimal vine health and grape ripeness. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, tucking and leaf thinning are all done on a vine by vine basis to ensure each plant will yield the correct amount of fruit and be structured within the trellis system to optimize air flow, light exposure and photosynthesis.

Flowering and fruit set are now complete and we’re looking forward to bunch closure in the next 7-14 days. With more summer heat & sunshine in the forecast, we can expect harvest to begin in late September or early October; quite typical for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on our higher elevation site. Stay tuned for more updates as harvest approaches and the new winery/tasting room nears completion. We’ll be making some new wines this year as well including a Traditional Method Sparkling and a Riesling. So many exciting things to come!