Busy Mid-Term Week

Whew! I'm back....last week was a very busy mid-term week at school, with one test and my oral Mid-Term Presentation on "Use of the Porometer in Testing Stomatal Conductance in Grapevine Leaves." In simple terms, I gave a demonstration on how to use a porometer to measure the amount of water vapor that is released through stomata (tiny pore-like openings on the underside of leaves) - the numbers give an indication as to how stressed the vines are and thus information with which to adjust irrigation amounts, i.e., if the vines are TOO stressed, they probably need a little more water, and if they are not stressed enough, or in the "luxury" range, they are getting more than they need. The idea is to keep them stressed just enough to make them struggle - intensifies the flavors. As Jim Barrett said in the movie Bottle Shock, "a well-watered grape turns into a lazy ingredient of a lousy wine!"

In addition to a busy school week, my best friends, Dr. John and Joyce Saunders, were here visiting for a couple of days - they were in California for John's work at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and house hunting in Carmel. We had a good visit, albeit a short one - a tour of Shone Farm, where I attend viticulture classes, a trip to Guerneville, a stop at Korbel, a nice lunch in Forestville, dinner in Santa Rosa, and just some quality time together. My Pugs Frankie and Otto were, of course, thrilled as usual to have someone in the house besides boring old Mom to give them extra love and attention!

The highlight of Joyce and John's visit was a trip to the Battaglini Winery, where we tasted and purchased delicious Chardonnay and Petite Sirah wines. Joe, the owner and winemaker, was a wonderful host. More on the winery follows in the next post......