eG Foodblog: Rebel Rose / Dover Canyon - Life in a vineyard

[johnnyd]

Most informative.

First, you've helped me distinguish between growers and vintners. The Association containing both interests seems to quash possible disputes, bravo! The article I read (NYT?) told of Napa areas running out of growable land sparking zone issues and complaints of water-course contamination. Seemed so foreign in so idyllic a part of the country, but hey, that's progress.

When I was a teen, my dad retired to the Algarve, Portugal where he tried his hand at three varieties of Muscatel. The vinyard was right on top of a 100ft cliff facing the Atlantic wind. He used to make me put fishnet bags on the bunches to keep the birds from eating 'em, a long, painful slog for a bored, dumb teenager! What I would give for that job now!

Saw the promo poster for your WineFest 5/14 on the Association site; very beautiful!

Cheers!

[Rebel Rose]

I spent the morning suckering 3 acres of syrah. The syrah is only three years old, so the graft still throws out suckers. This is my second time through. It was warm, but it felt good to get some exercise and sun while actually accomplishing something.

At the bottom of the syrah section there's an old pole barn with antique walnut hulling equipment, once used by Diamond when this was their local processing center. The walnuts still grown on the property are sold to Diamond, but the barn is abandoned and we use it for storing vineyard equipment and supplies.

Lunch was a salad of greens, tomato, sliced anaheim peppers and sunflower seeds, with 2003 vintage olive oil from just down the road, and balsamic vinegar, accompanied by a very chilled glass of McManis Family 2002 Pinot Grigio.

[hathor]

That looks like the perfect lunch!

Happy suckering!

I've been following along on Carolyn Tillie's wine blog, and they have troubles with rabbits. Do you have wildlife problems and what do you do about it?

[bloviatrix]

What exactly is suckering? I've never heard that term before.

[Smithy]

Suckering! How well I remember suckering orange trees, across the Coast Range and 100 miles or so inland from you (Ivanhoe, FWIW). Hot, dusty, and uncomfortable work it was: those suckers had large and hostile thorns. Mary, are the suckers from a different root stock? Is grafting onto different root stock common for grapes? If so, why? With oranges it's mostly for disease resistance, although I've noticed in the last few years some growers switching their oranges, limb by limb, to another variety until the replacement saplings are in production and the old trees can be removed.

Gawd, I'm homesick.

Edited to add: Bloviatrix, in the case of orange trees, suckering is the removal of unwanted shoots put out by the root stock of the tree. Oranges (and possibly other citrus, but I don't know) are grafted onto a wild orange root stock that's hardier and more disease-resistant than the fruitwood of the desired crop. For a few years after the grafting, the root stock keeps putting out new shoots in addition to feeding the fruitwood, and every spring you have to go cut off those suckers: wild and thorny shoots that take sap and nutrients away from the desired stock, but don't produce a viable crop. I'm guessing that the principle is the same for grapes, but I don't recall having to go through that with our vineyards. Maybe they had matured past that point already by the time Dad bought them.

Edited May 18, 2004 by Smithy (log)

[phaelon56]

Coming from the land of scooped out bagels....how does one eat a bowl of steel cut oats?? I'm picturing a horse feed bag, and somehow I'm sure that's not quite right.

Am I right that these are similar to McCann's Irish Oatmeal? That's a steel cut oat product and I love the nutty flavor and texture. It is to commercial oatmeal what an artisan whole grain bread is to Wonder Bread. I cook mine the easy way: two cups very lightly salted water brought to the boil. throw in a cup of ats, cover, remove from heat immediately and leave overnight. Simmer and stir for ten minutes in the AM and it's ready. Leftovers microwave nicely especially with a bit of maple syrup to thin it out a bit.

I'm wondering - are the "steel cut oats" from the bag that's labeled as "7 Grain"? I'd love to try an alternate steel cut grain mix for hot cereal, not to mention that McCann's is a bit pricey as it is imported from Eire.

[Rebel Rose]

hathor, do we have wildlife? Hmm, let me see . . .

nematodes, insects, beetles and wasps,

rabbits, no, but gophers and kits,

coyotes, badgers, lions and deer,

blackbirds, starlings, barn owls and jays,

and, your favorite . . .

ta da!

I took this picture just after lunch. Dan came up for his lunch and said a young turkey hen had somehow gotten into the vineyard and was following him around.

I will never be able to look at a wild turkey again without thinking of you!

smithy, that was a good answer to bioviatrix's question.

Suckering citrus trees would be brutal. Those little thorns look more delicate than a rose's but they're like needles! Suckering grapevines is easy--the suckers are soft and pliable. I just take a gloved hand, swipe it down the vine, and rub briskly around the graft. The only workout involved is climbing up and down the vineyard rows and bending over. And trust me, I need it.

phaelon56, I beg your pardon. They're not steel cut oats after all. (I can't be expected to make sense in the morning without coffee. ) They are rolled, and can therefore be prepared in 5 minutes. This is a "Wheat Montana" mix that Dan's father, who lives in Bigfork, sent us. The mix includes hard wheat, soft wheat, oats, rye, barley, triticale (what is that?) and spelt. I like Silver Palate, too, but I would have to say that this is the best cereal I have ever tasted. I don't know what the price is for the 3 lb. bag he sent us, but their website is on the bag . . . www.wheatmontana.com

[SethG]

Hey, Seth.  No the pizza wasn't whole wheat, just nicely toasted. 

Whew, what a relief! You do live in California, so it didn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

"Suckering" sounds like a treatment many tourists get at the airports here in NYC. "Hey lady, need a hand with that bag?"

Also, I keep meaning to mention that your photo of Vinyard Drive makes me very jealous.

Edited May 19, 2004 by SethG (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Lovin' this blog!

[hathor]

Great...I'll go down in history as that turkey lady!

But seriously, what DO you do to keep out all those varmints? I would imagine its even more difficult when the grapes are mature.

And I agree with SethG, suckering is just a great word, needs to be used more often.

[DRColby]

We were visting your area this past January and decided to visit some of the wineries. Did get much past Avalia Beach on the tour. Nice couple there (sounding much like you and your husband) took all my wine money and sent us home happy.

I am curious what you feel are the strongest vintages coming from your area? I think there some great pinots coming from the area south of you.

dave

[Rebel Rose]

Last night's meal was a rushed affair. We were tired, so we pulled out the marinated steaks that BK made, grilled some corn, and caramelized some sweet Mayan onions.

The steaks were so tender we didn't need knives! The corn is the first early white corn from California Polytechnic's gardens. They sell the corn at farmer's markets and to local stores. It's so sweet you can eat it raw. We didn't even add butter or salt.

And Dan pulled out a bottle of our Dover Canyon 2000 Menage, a Bordeaux-style blend. Comfort food and comfort wine.

[hathor]

oh!!! You have fresh corn already?? Sounds like the perfect meal.

[bloviatrix]

I like the label on the Menage. Does that pup appear on all your labels or just this one? What's the story?

[Pan]

Mary, could you please tell us more about Mayan onions. I'm not familiar with them.

This blog has been great fun, and most of all for the pictures. You consistently get really nice resolution in your pictures. Have you had formal training in photography?

I Googled triticale and got results that are pretty interesting:

Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development: Triticale

Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) is a man-made crop developed by crossing wheat (Triticum turgidum or Triticum aestivum) with rye (Secale cereale).

Early attempts to cross wheat and rye produced only sterile offspring. It was not until the 1930s that techniques were available to produce fertile hybrids.

[Toliver]

Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development: Triticale

Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) is a man-made crop developed by crossing wheat (Triticum turgidum or Triticum aestivum) with rye (Secale cereale).

Early attempts to cross wheat and rye produced only sterile offspring. It was not until the 1930s that techniques were available to produce fertile hybrids.

And wasn't that the same wheat the Tribbles ate up on the original Star Trek series?

Uh...I saw it in re-runs. Yah, that's it.

[SethG]

Mary, could you please tell us more about Mayan onions. I'm not familiar with them.

Pan, Mayan sweets are another sweet onion similar to Vidalias. I've purchased them in NYC at the Brooklyn Costco (ten pound bag, of course).

[Pan]

Thanks, Seth.

[Rebel Rose]

I'm starving! I skipped breakfast, and lunch was an antipasto plate of salami, rye bread and mustard, with pickled beans and dilled corn from Santa Barbara Olive Co.

After a heavy day shipping wine out, I put in another back-breaking hour suckering zinfandel vines. Dan announced that he had dinner planned—rotisserie chicken, grilled asparagus and artichoke hearts! Oh, boy.

I took a few minutes to check on my greenhouse.

And my babies—mostly tomatoes and peppers. They're almost ready to plant out, and if I finish all my paperwork tomorrow, I will treat myself to a gardening afternoon this weekend.

Unfortunately, it seems there's a Kings/Wolverines game on tonight. So it was, hey, honey, can you light the coals? and hey, honey, can you do the chicken? As I type this, Dan is saying, hey, Mary, can you clean the grill for me? But it's all okay. After washing up and replacing my dusty duds with a clean sundress, I'm in the zone and relaxing.

And since I'm making dinner after all, I'll choose the wine. A friend gave us a bottle of Rosenblum 2001 Viognier, Ripken Vineyard this weekend, so I decide to compare it to an already open bottle of Dover Canyon 2003 Viognier, Hansen Vineyard. Both wines approach 15% alcohol so now I'm feeling really relaxed.

First, I cleaned a whole chicken. It was a little torn, but hey, it's just us. In goes a whole bulb of garlic, and a whole lemon with rosemary and fresh bay leaves from the herb garden tucked inside. I rub Trinidad and Maharajah seasonings, from Penzey's Spices on the exterior. Trinidad is a lemon-garlic blend, and the Maharajah contains saffron, which gives the chicken a beautiful dark gold color all over.

Two bunches of asparagus are set aside for the grill, slimed with olive oil and sprinkled with dry Italian dressing and lemon pepper. I throw on plenty because a lot of it falls off while it's grilling. Dan is making two artichokes—he trims the 'chokes, sprinkles herbs and spices over the top, then pours olive oil on top of that, to carry the spices down between the leaves. Then he steams them in about 1/2 inch of water.

And for Rebel Rose, bonitas--marrow bones prepared in her personal pan.

Ah, the chicken is looking toasty and brown. It's now resting in a pan under aluminum foil and some dish towels, to insure that it's done, yet juicy. The vegies are done and Dan is filching asparagus during commercials. When the game is over, we'll eat!

Ah, dinner time!

[Rebel Rose]

I like the label on the Menage.  Does that pup appear on all your labels or just this one?  What's the story?

Thank you, the "pup" appears on our red wines. We have a bird on the whites, and, well, the same artist did all three, but we've nicknamed the late harvest art "Beaver on Acid." I'm sure we'll take a look at that before the week is out.

The heart-breaking, two-hanky story of Blue, which I swear is not exaggerated, can be found here.

[Rebel Rose]

Pan, Mayan sweets are another sweet onion similar to Vidalias.

Yes, Mayans and Vidalias are extra sweet. I also love Walla Wallas, a Washington State wariety. (Oh sorry, must be the Wiognier.) We love them for caramelized onions and in fact, the picture that I posted was early on. We don't stop sauteeing them until they're a toasty brown and about one-quarter their original volume. They're like candy for grownups. Too rich for me to eat every night, but Dan is becoming addicted to them. Even if you don't eat them for dinner, they make the house smell fabulous, and they hold over for homemade pizza, frittatas . . .

[bloviatrix]

The heart-breaking, two-hanky story of Blue, which I swear is not exaggerated, can be found here.

Blue sounds like a devoted and loving dog. The label is a lovely tribute.

[Rebel Rose]

what DO you do to keep out all those varmints? I would imagine its even more difficult when the grapes are mature.

We have deer fencing, eight feet high, and a dog. Of the two, the deer fence is far more effective.

The deer fence keeps out most grazing mammals, including Antillio Busi's marauding cows. The family to the east of us, the Busi's, own 800 acres of grazing land. To the west, the Barloggio family owns 1,000 acres of pasture, peas, barley, and safflower. Their cows actually wear bells, and when they walk the ridge at dusk, we can hear the cowbells clanking in the soft summer twilight. We're welcome to climb the fence in spring and fill a bowl full of sugar snap peas from the fields across the road. When the safflower, which is basically a thistle, is in bloom the fields are a vibrant yellow color, and everyone visiting the tasting room will ask us what it is.

As the fruit ripens, we invest in bird netting. Due to thick stands of oaks in our area, and the fact that we have a walnut orchard, starlings and blackbirds have us on their daily flight plan. A swarm of voracious birds can wipe out entire rows at the edge of a Really Large Commercial vineyard, and the entire crop in a small, secluded vineyard.

And there's the bugs. That's an ongoing war, but my favorite solution to date is Scott Welcher's, the vineyard manager at Wild Horse. He bought some biological predators ( I don't remember which ones) and loaded them into the bomb bay of a remote control plane, and dropped them over the vineyard.

We have eight cats, which help to keep the gopher population down, and we had a resident badger. They're nocturnal, but you can tell by the huge burrows with the deep, gnarly claw marks. However, after we put the 12-year-old to work mowing the cover crop, on a lawnmower with his bicycle helmet firmly fastened (he's a little wired), singing Ki-yi-yay at the top of his lungs, the badger left.

Last year we had a very fat bobcat hunting gophers. One morning she calmly walked right by me--I was wearing my Big Dog robe with yellow happy faces all over it and drinking Starbucks coffee. How obviously human could I be? She strolled by and went to the edge of the property, where there's a deadfall log covered with poison oak. She looked both ways and hopped underneath, so I grabbed the binocs and sure enough, she had cubs there. As they grew she would take them down to the creek bed to hunt frogs while she watched over them. We would watch from the kitchen windows, which look down over the vineyard and creek. (And we watch windows is hard to say after wiognier!)

[ninadora]

The heart-breaking, two-hanky story of Blue, which I swear is not exaggerated, can be found here.

great, wondeful story!!!

that pic of your dog with doll was so adorable....I love this blog....I want to make wine...

I can't take it anymore, i need out of the city!!!

I love food blogs !

[bleudauvergne]

Wow that chicken looks excellent. Your roti rod looks exactly like the one we have that fits our oven! Did you have that hooked up to something that turned it automatically?

Blue's story is amazing. Yes, a perfect graphic for the wine bottle.

Love the blog -

Edit - Did you ever worry about your cats getting snatched for a snack with the bobcat around?

Edited May 20, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)