Showing posts with label General's Ridge Vineyard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General's Ridge Vineyard. Show all posts
July 01, 2010
General's Ridge Vineyard 009
The leaves on the sunny side of the vines need to be thinned and pruned so that an equal amount of light hits the shady side of the vines. I'm not sure if Larry told us why but I presume this allows even growth and ripening of the grapes.
Thinning and pruning, like every step of the process is done manually. Wine probably should cost more. . .
General's Ridge Vineyard 008
Larry said the leaves need to be meticulously maintained. They are prone to mold and insects. I asked about deer. He said they aren't so much a problem as smaller critters. I believe he mentioned turkeys. He also mentioned there are some coyotes in the area that keep populations in balance.
If the leaves stay free of pests, sooner or later they're going to need some pruning and thinning. . .
General's Ridge Vineyard 007
According to Larry, grapevines grow rapidly but need a lot of attention. Each April, the vines are cut nearly to the ground. So all the growth you are seeing in these photographs happened between April and mid-June.
General's Ridge Vineyard 006
We had the pleasure of meeting the vineyard's Foreman, Larry. Larry was spraying some of the vines early Sunday morning. He said they stopped Saturday afternoon because it was 100 degrees in the fields! When we met Larry, he was on his way home to get ready for church but he was still kind enough to stop and chat with us for a bit.
It is immediately clear that Larry is a gentle and affable fellow. Living on the Northern Neck his entire life, he has the weathered skin and calloused hands of a man that physically labors for a living. His eyes twinkle. They hint at wisdom and knowledge and ingenuity that might be missed if one was to focus only on his nearly toothless grin or his blue collar attire.
Larry speaks confidently but softly - his drawl smooth and sweet like honey. He laughs easily during our conversation and kindly entertains and engages our inquisitiveness.
June 30, 2010
General's Ridge Vineyard 004
C and I got up early Sunday morning so we could do some exploring in the area. The area is pretty rural. It was so hot and humid but at least we made an early start of it. We really had no destination so our adventure resulted in C driving me around for about 1.5 hours checking out various areas that looked as if they would have waterfront views. Unfortunately, many of the areas are privately owned and hence inaccessible. But we did find a little crab shack/marina where I snapped this dock dog making the most of his environs.
General's Ridge Vineyard 003
We stayed here!!! It was exactly as wonderful as you are imagining! Probably better. . .
General's Ridge Vineyard 002
There are a lot of photographs of this structure. I guess I kinda' experienced a wine-induced photographic crush on it. I'll try to keep it to a minimum.
I'll also spare you the 80 half snockered, blurry, dark frames documenting my attempt to capture heat lightening off the second story veranda in the dark. . .
Anyway, I've been meaning to to a little research on this thing. I saw a good number of them in the area. T and I are country gals but we weren't exactly sure how it functions. I suspect it is tied to the well somehow but I can't be certain.
If anyone knows, please comment.
General's Ridge Vineyard 001
Our friends G&T were soooooo thoughtful and invited us to stay in a big old farmhouse they rented for the weekend at a place called General's Ridge Vineyard. The property is a working vineyard/farm, located on Virginia's Northern Neck close to Hague, VA. The property did not disappoint. We had a wonderful weekend and are so happy we scored such a thoughtful and awesome invite.
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