A Diagnosis of Spring from our Farm Doctor

In our fields the old cycle ends and a new one begins.  The casual observer sees a slumbering vineyard, but the trained eye sees life reawakening.

Malivoire’s trained eye is “Doctor Steve”: Steve Kornic, our senior viticulturalist.  As he describes it, “The yearly cycle in the vineyard is much like a Ferris wheel: every year it goes round and round, with the stops remaining the same”.

Steve, along with only two others (Tristan and Michael), were enough to prune the width and breadth of our farm over the winter.  Now, with hectares of vines beginning to stir, they’ve been joined by our returning vineyard specialists* from Jamaica: Adam, Barrington (or “Barry”), Mahlon, Vencot and Vivian (better known as “Rice”; it’s a diet thing). 

For now, there’s plenty of work to be done.  This includes inspecting trellises, repairing damage, and replacing posts where necessary.

And there’s more.  Malivoire has become a seasoned winery, with beyond a generation of experience.  The same is true of our vineyards.  Those blocks planted in our early years are mature and weathered now, which requires a different set of skills.  The task here is to monitor the health of these older residents and treat them where needed, to keep them healthy and productive for the future.

Good thing we have a Doctor in the house.

*Why do we call them ‘vineyard specialists’?   They’re veterans; three have more than twenty years’ experience, and three have more than fifteen.  They bring ages-old farm wisdom from back home to our vineyards, to fix winter-worn trellises, to plant, prune, tie and finally, to harvest.