Soils Test

I dig some soil samples and have them tested by SoilTest, a Moses Lake firm ( http://www.soiltestlab.com/ ). High in potassium. PH looks fine. They recommend adding a little boron and zinc. No big deal.

Ancient Lakes Area Wine Tour

The next weekend April & I do a tour of wineries in the area. We are a couple of weeks late in the season, and our tour takes us to only three stops: Saint Laurent at Malaga up near Wenatchee ( http://www.saintlaurent.net/ ), the venerable White Heron Cellars ( http://www.whiteheronwine.com/ ) overlooking Crescent Bar in Trinidad (exotic names, Malaga and Trinidad), and back to Dry Falls Cellars in Moses (http://www.dryfallscellars.com/) where we spend a pleasant hour with our feet up, sipping wine and visiting with the winery family. The next morning we head south to Othello and then work west along the Frenchman Hills. We come across a couple of vineyards amid the orchards and fields. We note the row spacing and trellis design. It looks like a handful of farmers and orchardists have just kind of decided to plant some grapes on a likely-looking piece of their land, figuring they would learn as they go. Viola! Just like that, they find themselves on Chamber of Commerce winery maps, part of the Columbia Valley “wine trail,” much to the bemusement of the farmers. http://www.columbiariverwine.com/

Deer Season

On I-90 on the way back I pass a pickup with half a dozen deer lashed to it, each one neatly gutted from throat to anus.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/536214.html

Dry Falls Cellars Winery

I go over on a perfect late fall day. Temperature near 70º. No wind. Big blue sky. I do some weeding in the entry landscaping. It’s the first day of deer hunting season, and my neighbor knocks off early to head north for a couple hours with his buddy and his guns. On the way out of town that afternoon I happen to see a "Wine Tasting" sign for Dry Falls Cellars off Highway 17 in Moses Lake. http://www.dryfallscellars.com/. I wind around through the industrial buildings next to the airport and come across the winery just as another load of grapes is coming in from the Wahluke Slope. I meet Jim & Jonathon, brothers-in-law. I sample a couple of their wines and tell them about my project. They share what information they can, and it seems like the beginning of a friendship. I would like to have someone with some experience to help out. But I realize that if I’m going to get a vineyard started, I’m probably going to have to do it myself.

How to Start a Vineyard

Now, how to get a vineyard started. I go to Borders. Amazingly, they have exactly one book on viticulture. From Vines to Wines, by Jeff Cook (Storey Publishing 1999). It looks helpful and I buy it. What do I need to think about? Varieties. Soil types. Sun exposure. Row spacing and orientation. Trellis & irrigation systems. I surf the web for hours. Everyone has an opinion, many conflicting. I gradually conclude that there aren’t a lot of absolutes in this vineyard business. You just have to get started and figure it out as you go.

Vineyard Irrigation

First I make sure I have water rights. Grapes don’t need much water. But Moses Lake only gets 6 - 8 inches of rain per year, so I’ll need drip irrigation. Growers seem to be continually reducing the amount of water, trying to stress the vines right up to the point of dying before grudgingly granting them a small sip. I figure half an acre foot per acre, if properly applied, could be enough. I check my water certificate. Yep, the space I have in mind, and indeed the whole slope (maybe 12 acres in all), is within the property legally served by my water rights.

Vineyard Concept

Decided to plant a vineyard and build a house. There’s an area of open space above the entry drive that has a nice south/southwest slope to it. A vineyard would add a touch of class and grace to the community, set the tone. I’ll make it an estate by building a nice home on Lot 21 adjacent to the vineyard.