It’s time to get ready for another busy season, and the Traynor team has already taken the slower winter months to put some thought into planning for the year ahead. They had time to reflect on what worked last season, what can be improved, plus big dreams they want to bring to life at the winery in the coming years.
We have been quiet on actual vineyard updates throughout the winter, but that doesn’t mean the team didn’t put in some time out in the snow. During the winter there is still work to do out in the field, mainly pruning the vines of the hybrid grapes that don’t get buried or covered by the geotextiles. This task kept the busy right through the end of February.
This March and April has been a pretty warm season for Prince Edward County, and Traynor has already removed the geotextiles off of the back field’s vines. Mike and Richard were getting concerned with how warm it was getting outside, and that the blankets would make the vines overheat and think that it is already June, which would cause the grapes to start growing. Obviously, that would not be good this time of year, so the team has been busy managing temperatures out in the field so that the vines comes out at the right time.
The last few months the team has also been able to put some thought into the next steps for the natural wind breaks throughout the vineyard. As you might remember, the team took out six rows of hybrid grapes in the top field and planted various other plants in their place to create wind breaks, but also create biodiversity on the vineyard. These plants bring the right type of insects, as well as help with retaining water and reducing wind damage. The team planted chestnut trees, elderflower and sea buckthorn, but that is just the beginning. They are slowly coming along, with lots of growth and buds appearing this spring.
Next, the team wants to think about the medium and lower fields and how to create biodiversity and efficiencies there. The first move will be transplanting chamomile that has been growing throughout the property, which will be really great for ground cover and will help with weed control. The team is also looking at other options and finding ways to use plants growing in the vineyard in the vermouth production. Sumac and rhubarb are two examples of plants they want to begin nurseries somewhere in the vineyard, which will expand the types of plants in the wind breaks and will create diversity. You might ask, why do they need more plants? The thing is, only having three to four plants in the wind breaks isn’t enough diversity — they will suck up too many of the same nutrients in the soil and leave behind a high concentration of others. The goal is to have a good range of plants in every wind break, bringing harmony to the soil, and be totally self-sustaining eventually.
Remember the pond that started in 2021? Well, it’s almost time to kickstart that project again too. It is still a little too wet to get the big machinery back on the project, but the team is hoping to get back in there late April or early May. The water that set in the current hole over the winter from snow and ice has started to recede, so hopefully it will be easy to get in and finish drilling soon. The next step will be working on the landscaping around the pond, which will begin this summer. The goal for this year is to create a pathway down to the water so that guests can head down to explore with their wine.
Like every project at Traynor, it will never truly be finished. Each of these tasks will evolve and ultimately lead to another or inspire the next big thing — and that’s the way the team likes it. Let’s keep growing and pushing what’s possible. Cheers to the season ahead!
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It’s an amazing time to give the winery a visit and sit by the fire while enjoying some delicious wine. Check out @traynorvineyard on social for real-time updates and details about how you can visit.
