Montemaggiore Blog
We are winegrowers not professional writers, thus this blog will probably only be updated a few times a year. In fact most of these posts either have appeared or will appear in our quarterly newsletter. Having said that, we hope you enjoy our insights on winemaking and winegrowing on a boutique level. We welcome your opinions and questions—and even your suggestions on future topics.
Crush = Excitement + Anxiety + Thrill
The harvest season, fondly known as "Crush", is a thrilling time here in Wine Country. It's exciting, nerve-wracking and satisfying all at the same time. Learn about a typical harvest day at Montemaggiore and the cardio-vascular workout that Lise gets. Continue »
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Cane Pruning in the Vineyard
Every winter while the vines are dormant, Pedro prunes each of our 14,000 vines. He uses a method called cane pruning is complex and time-consuming, but worth the effort! Continue »
Farming with Chickens
There is a reason most farms have chickens: they work hard! Chickens are a great addition to Montemaggiore, not only do they provide eggs, but they eat bugs in the vineyard, scratchto keep the native grasses down, and improve soil fertility. We've been trying to integrate more animals into our biodynamic farm, and chickens are the latest step. Continue »
Biodynamic Certification: is it necessary?
Many people say their vineyards are farmed organically and/or biodynamically, yet they aren't certified as such. Does it matter? Yes! Continue »
Dec 15, 2009 at 4:43 PM
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Planting a new Vineyard
We purchased our vineyards in 2001, but now for the first time we are planting exactly the way we want with the right varietals & clones, row orientation & spacing, trellising & irrigation. Continue »