Entire textbooks (or chapters of textbooks, anyway) have been devoted to the topic of pruning, training, and trellising grapevines.  This article will provide a brief overview of the main concepts of pruning grapevines, with emphasis on pruning during vineyard establishment. Dormant grapevine pruning during vineyard establishment is performed annually with two main goals in mind – training the ...

Rick Dunst, Viticulturist, Double A Vineyards, Inc.  Now that harvest is over and winter is approaching, the staff at Double A Vineyards is starting to get a lot of phone calls and e-mails from our customers asking for assistance in selecting appropriate varieties to grow on their sites.  While many of our customers know exactly what they want, others are just getting started at growing grapes ...

Rick Dunst, Viticulturist, Double A Vineyards, Inc. As the 2011 growing season comes to an end, we all know what comes next – winter. In areas where extreme cold temperature or temperature drops occur, winter protection of grapevines may be necessary. By their nature, grafted vines are most susceptible to winter injury, particularly at the graft union. Own-rooted vines are also susceptible to w...

Rick Dunst, Viticulturist, Double A Vineyards, Inc. After nearly twelve months of taking care of your vineyards, the last decision you make can be the most agonizing and difficult– when is it time to harvest the fruit?  As grapes mature, they develop aromas and flavors, and the chemical composition of the fruit changes.  Knowing when those factors have reached optimum levels is both an art and ...