We finished pruning our vineyards in March, so I guess spring is now officially here. We did find some winter damage to vines that were affected by last summer鈥檚 drought in our Fosterville Road vineyard. We lost several vines and had substantial trunk loss on many other vines in the upper section of the vineyard. Typically, we train two or more main trunks on each vine here in the Finger Lakes, which really helps out after the summer and winter we just had. If one trunk dies, the vine can still flourish from a second or third trunk. Every year we train up a new trunk to act as a replacement in future years. You can see this in the attached pictures, where we had two trunks die off while two small additional trunks survived. This vine lives on!
Dead trunks before pruning at CJS Vineyards & Aurelius Winery.
Provided
Two renewal trunks after pruning at CJS Vineyards & Aurelius Winery.
Wine is going wild. New wineries and wine bars dedicated exclusively to so-called natural wines are popping up across the U.S. But what exactly is natural wine? Unlike conventional winemaking, where additives, pesticides, and other manipulative techniques are often used to ensure consistency and flavor, natural winemakers focus on minimal intervention. The back-to-basics approach is rooted in ancient traditions and sustainable practices.
Chris Scholomiti is co-owner and winemaker at CJS Vineyards & Aurelius Winery, 6900 Fosterville Road, Aurelius. The winery’s tasting room is open by appointment. For more information, call or text (315) 730-4619 or email wine@cjsvineyards.com.
