Grape Growing

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Evaluating Young Wines

During a relatively slow period in the vineyard, now is a perfect time to start planning for the upcoming growing season. Tasting wines from

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Trellising Explained

The ideal trellis system for one wine grower may not be the same for another. Learn about the most common trellis systems home winemakers ma

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Vintage Postmortem

With harvest behind us and our wines safely fermenting or in bulk storage, it’s time to reflect on the past year’s struggles and triumph

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Vineyard Canopy Management

Summer in the vineyard means it is time to manage your vines’ canopy. Spraying, suckering, leaf removal, adjusting lateral shoots, and eve

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Mastering Pest Management

The hardest part of growing grapes may be keeping them healthy and on the vine until harvest. From fungal diseases to insect and animal cont

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Backyard Pruning: Tips from the Pros

Two amateurs who have won Best of Show medals for their estate-grown wines share advice for late-winter pruning and vineyard care.

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Pruning and Spring Care

After harvest is over may seem like a great time for the home viticulturist to sit back and take a deep breath. Just don’t take too long o

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Fall/Winter Tips in the Vineyard

Fall is the most critical time in the vineyard. Preparing for and executing harvest are paramount. So is the cleanup and vineyard care after

Wine-wizard

Understanding Degree Days

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Master the Backyard Harvest

Wes Hagen lays out last-minute advice to maximize this make-or-break day as home viticulturists gear up for harvest.

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Summer Care in the Vineyard

The summer is a critical time in the home vineyard. Wes Hagen shares the physiological needs of mature vines in the summer and lays out a sc

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Winter Chills

When a harsh cold snap occurs in the middle of winter, there is little a grape grower can do in the moment . . . it’s all about being prep

Technique

Experimenting With Deficit Irrigation

With ongoing drought concerns in many wine-growing regions, the practice of deficit irrigation is gaining traction, not only for using less

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Irrigation systems and strategies

Not all wine grape growers need to irrigate, but for those that do there are options available. Get a primer on what those strategies look l

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Water Works: Assessing irrigation needs

Not every location needs to irrigate their vines every year, but for those that do, advanced planning is key. Here is a walk through the fa

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Viticulture Tips

The 2023 growing season is just around the corner and it’s time to think about ways to improve your viticultural practices. Here are 10 ti

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Trellising And Choosing Vines: Designing a modern backyard vineyard

Once you have your site selected, soil figured out, as well as irrigation; it’s time to start planning things like row and vine spacing, w

Technique

Site Planning and Prep: Designing a modern backyard vineyard

For anyone who plans on creating a small-to-moderate-sized backyard vineyard, this column should be mandatory reading. Because the best advi

Article

DIY Netting Applicator

Vineyard netting is often critical to protect your grapes from birds and other predators; however, applying and removing it can be a real pa

Technique

Dear Wes: A new vintage of backyard Q&As

The reader letters have been piling up, so Wes decides it’s come that time again to pick up the pen and share some of the most useful ques

Wine-wizard

Sensing Ripeness in Grapes

Wine-wizard

Uneven Ripening Of Grapes

Technique

Making Lemonade: Vineyard fixes for underwhelming grapes

Not every harvest is going to be perfect. When the grapes come in at less than ideal numbers or with other “flaws,” make sure you’re w

Technique

Dear Wes: I asked for questions and you listened!

Two attendees of the Backyard Grape Growing Online Boot Camp had some follow-up questions; one on their spray protocol, the other about com

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Best Practices: Mythic vines make for mythic wines

Have you ever visited a vineyard and wondered, “How did they do that?!” You know the place, where all the vines seem to be in sync and h