Vine Vigour - Look Waaaay Up!

Vine Vigour - Look Waaaay Up!

                                                                            

Wine, Wind and Sea.   

The heat wave is upon us!!  Our 40 Knots vineyard has experienced the highest heat on record since the new ownership of Layne and Brenda 4 years ago.  Each vine has seen exponential growth since our cool spell in June.  The crazy vine vigour has produced shoot ends 2 feet above our top wire.  With this excellent level of health, we’ve simply got to manage the growth and keep the vines in check.  The last few weeks we’ve been tucking and hedging.  It’s been all hands on deck!  What’s tucking and hedging you might ask?  Let’s delve deeper.

 

Tucking is the process of pulling each vine through a trellis system called vertical shoot positioning (or VSP) so that they create those neatly managed rows that you have perhaps walked through once or twice before while strolling in our Vineyard Interpretive Trail /Visit-Us/Vineyard-Tour .  It’s a system of 5 levels of wires where the leaves grow above and the fruit grows below at about 3 feet from the ground.  We keep them neat and manicured so that they provide a perfect canopy for the grapes swelling up below them. The bottom aptly called the cordon wire, is where the fruit will grow and thrive.  VSP is a good canopy management system in cool-climate viticultural parts of the world as it helps to enable buds and fruit to receive proper sunlight.  Moving upwards are the movable catch wires that are clipped in to actually “catch” and train the upward growing vines. We have surpassed the “shotgun” phase, where the grapes are the size of just that.  

Hedging is a pruning method of removing the tops of the shoots that grow above the trellis system.  It essentially depresses vine growth vigor, allowing the vines to focus on fruit ripening as opposed to leaf growth.  Once they’re tucked and secured with the final wire clipped in at the top, then our 6 bladed machine is driven through each row to take that manicure to the next level.  Hedging is essentially giving our vines a buzz cut.  

 

                                

We achieve wonderful health of vines and green farming by not spraying with any pesticides whatsoever.  Mustard seed oil and baking soda are all we need for a healthy environment and proper vine management.  This controls disease and bugs and is completely biodynamic.  Organic calcium is used for fungal spray.  For fertigation, or the drip system used to insert fertilizers into the soil, we use liquid organic kelp a couple times a year and that’s all it takes to keep the roots happy- a little liquid goes a long way when you’ve got roots this deep.  We’re so proud of our healthy Comox Valley vines, our methods are so natural, you could literally grab a leaf from the vine and eat it! 

 

A wonderful slightly chilled BC red wine for the summertime is our coveted and recently bottled Gamay Noir. Beat the heat and come on by for a tasting!

 

 

 

*************** JUST RELEASED FOR SUMMER******************

 

 

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

 

Vineyard Budburst on the 40K Grounds

Vineyard Budburst on the 40K Grounds

                                  

Excitement spurs in the Northern Hemisphere for wine geeks and nature enthusiasts alike.  At 40 Knots Estate Winery in the Comox Valley, we have patiently awaited budburst throughout the vine's swelling stage and with an earlier start than last year, we can begin countdown to harvest as we watch our new shoots grow daily.  Swelling precedes budburst, and these first two stages of the vineyard bring invigoration and life to all of us.  

                    Swelling

           

Each and every vineyard begins to show life again in the "swelling" stage.  The nodes of each cane, with roughly 6 on each side, will display a soft fuzzy looking bump.  Waiting for the perfect temperature to begin its new year of abundant growth, the new crop waits in the wings until the temperature is just right.  When temperatures finally hang out around 10°C, the signal is given for growth to proceed.

                     Budburst

            

Vine growth is fueled by nitrogen and starch reserves stored in canes, trunks, and roots from the previous year.  Believe it or not, compressed shoots are already formed within the winterized cane!  Budburst is simply releasing what Mother Nature has already created.  Within our 40 Knots Vineyard, we kick off, as always, with two German varietals – Schoenberger and Siegerebe.  In this stage, we closely monitor weather patterns and pray that cold evenings do not bring frost to our delicate new growth.  We "desucker" or remove shoots that will not flower.  This ensures that optimal energy is reserved for eventual fruit.  Shoots will reach up into the sky at a vigorous pace as we await flowering to begin.

As part of our biodynamic farming, we continue to watch the vineyard floor and follow its phases.  Leaving the yellow dandelion intact to attract a variety of bees, the flower's first release of filament means we can begin to weave between rows to mow the grass.  It's also the time of year that you may witness a 40 Knots employee frantically chasing deer out of the front gateway.  We have not gone mad, we're just conscious of old deer-y's insatiable appetite for new growth of any kind.  We have four cute little goslings on the move and have happily made space for some retired chickens that will live out the rest of their days amongst the 40 Knots vines.  Sounds like a dream if you ask me!  

Love being in the vineyard?  Love drinking wine?  Come visit us and you can do both! Vineyard Tours

 

 

 

The Vineyard Floor at 40 Knots

Wine, Wind, Sea & the Vineyard Floor

The life cycle of the grapevine can be discussed at great lengths.  From budburst to harvest, the hours and energy put into vine, canopy and fruit management are extensive.  Some of that attention, however, should be directed beneath our feet to the life found along the vineyard floor.  This important cover crop has profound significance for the vineyard ecosystem, productivity and inevitably, wine quality.  Here are just a handful of native and foreign plants, and even weeds, that help our 40 Knots Vineyard work with Mother Nature to achieve our increasing biodynamic farming practices.

 

White Clover (Trifolium Repens)

Chances are, you’ve seen this shamrock shape not only in a vineyard.  Incredibly common in North America, this herbaceous perennial is a part of the bean family.  Eventually, within its life cycle, a small white flower will draw in many bumblebee visitors, which are powerful pollinators. Into maturity, the white flower will begin to turn pink.  Its ground coverage helps balance nitrogen levels and maintain soil health.  If you happen upon one with four leaves instead of three, some would say you’d be blessed with the luck of the Irish!

 

Dandelion (Taraxacum Mongolicum)

The Taraxacum Mongolicum has been used in Eastern medicine for thousands of years, providing many health benefits.  When aged, how beautiful the feathery filaments appear when caught up in a summer’s breeze.  Kind of nostalgic, isn’t it?  For the vineyard though, this perennial's wide-spread root systems are amazing for loosening soil and pulling up calcium from the depths.  Grape vines require proper aeration and drainage to produce quality fruit set.  Less is more when it comes to water!

 

Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine Hirsute)

This little white flower is part of the mustard family.  In this particular photo, you can see the long slender seed pods getting ready to burst and spread themselves along the vineyard floor.  Flourishing in damp, sunny and loose soil conditions, the vineyard is just the spot for the annual Cardamine Hirsute to thrive.  It is also edible.  It can add a little zip to your salad with peppery flavours, a perfect 40 Knots Pinot Noir pairing!  Just like all other types of plants within the mustard family, this one is loaded with nutrients.  It’s a spring weed, so as temperatures increase, the sight of them decreases.

Fescue Grass (Festuca Arundinacea)

The grass is basically the bodyguard of the vineyard, its main goal is to protect.  The grass' heavy root system safeguards the soil from eroding and compacting. In the heat of the summer, it will enter dormancy and turn brown.  This is favourable because it no longer competes for water.  It also reduces excess moisture, avoiding unwanted heavy vine vigor.  

 

Where this foliage thrives, so do bugs that feed our vineyard animals.

 

Biodynamic law teaches that everything has a purpose.  With the knowledge of this, we can truly revel in the bounty that is found all around us. 

 

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” –Albert Einstein. 

 

 

With Spring upon us, we invite you to partake in one of our newly introduced guided vineyard tours.  While you’re sipping our 40 Knots wine amongst the vines where it all began, see if you can find some of these vineyard helpers in between your feet! 

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

Cellar Talk...

Stabilizing and Clarifying

                                      

 

 

In the 40 Knots cellar, it’s quiet.  Our estate grown wine is well past the fermentation stage and is relaxing well into the New Year.  Layne’s hard work for 2018’s vintage is mostly behind him, and our close to final product is ready for testing by our consulting chief winemaker Michael Bartier from the Okanagan Valley. http://http://www.bartierbros.com/index.php/the-brothers  At this stage, our cool climate wine undergoes sensory analysis and grading.  Michael’s suggestions help us push boundaries to ensure you’re receiving the highest quality.  Through our biodynamic practices and green farming techniques, we aim to offer you the absolute best of what Vancouver Island has to offer.

 

 

                              

 

 

Just as this time of the year calls for quiet reflection, so is the stage of a wine’s life.  In the cellar, we’re ultimately at the fine-tuning stage, where a young wine prepares to either age or become bottled.  There are a few methods to help separate the last naturally occurring unwanted components; clarifying and stabilizing.

 

 

Clarification is achieved through two methods:

FINING

Fining is the process in where a substance is added to the wine to help it bond with unwanted particles, such as grape fragments or dead yeast cells.  Some common agents are animal based, egg whites and fish bladders to name a few.  40 Knots is proud to offer you vegan and gluten-free wine, using none of these products.  Our fining methods are achieved by way of bentonite addition; a clay compound notable for absorbing protein and bacteria.

FILTERING

Where our red wine is unfiltered, the filtering process is reserved for our white’s.  A biodegradable sheet filter is used to gently run through, polish and ensure sterility of the wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stabilization is achieved through manually lowering temperatures:

COLD STABILIZATION

  This takes place in the cellar with our white and orange wine.  Tartaric acid is the most prominent acid found in wine.  This tends to bind with tannins and lees during fermentation and when the wine is inevitably cooled down before consumption, there is potential for crystallization.  This has the appearance of glass, which appears unappealing to the naked eye.  These are commonly referred to as “wine diamonds” and are 100% food safe!  Cooling down our stainless steel tanks through cold stabilization helps to shake down these crystals before the wine hits consumers mouths.

 

                                      

 

 

*UPDATE* Absolute excitement for our 2018 vintage, stay tuned for release date announcements!

 

 

 

Guests coming into town for a visit?  Looking for exciting new opportunities for your family and friends?  Keep your eyes peeled for our upgraded 40 Knots Tour Program!  Stay tuned on our Facebook page or website for updates.

https://www.facebook.com/40KnotsWinery/

 

/Wines/Experiences

Grape Harvest

 

           

Wine, Wind, Sea, and the bounty surrounds us!  We are smack dab in the middle of harvest here in our 40 Knots vineyard.  The fall colours, brisk mornings, the way that the yellow sun reflects off of the orange and red leaves can't help but leave a feeling of nostalgia.  We've been harvesting our Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir for our Rose.  We harvest them a tad earlier to retain a little acidity.  For our Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir stand alone red wine, grapes are left on the vine to get a little more concentration of fruit.  The juices will be pressed off after 24 hours, the typical timeframe for our Rose, to grab just a touch of colour from the grape skins. 

When we make these two grapes into a red wine, the juices remain on the skin for 2 or 3 weeks to grab more colour and tannin structure and then transferred to Burgundy oak.  For our Pinot Noir clone 115 Amphora driven wine, the juice is left on skins in Amphora for up to four months.  Thereafter, the skins are pressed off and the wine is returned to Amphora to continue aging.  Stay tuned for our 2017 Pinot Noir Amphora driven wine to be released in the New Year!

When visiting our tasting room during harvest time, you will be surrounded by the delicious smells of the wine beginning its fermentation process.  Here's a snapshot of wine fermenting in burgundian oak barrels:

 

          

The gases emitted during harvest can actually be quite dangerous.  Our 40 Knots cellar is equipped with a C0² monitoring system, air evacuation and purge systems to ensure safety.  During this fermentation process, yeast will eat the sugars and convert it into alcohol.  This process will typically take a week unless the vat has been cooled down to elongate the process.  This is common for the majority of our delicious 40 Knots white wine.  The natural temperature of fermenting wine can get in excess of 30 degrees C.  This is quite volatile for a wine.  By cooling it, or calming it down, we retain all of the beautiful juicy aromatics and help to showcase each individual grape at its full capacity. There are essentially two ways to ferment a wine, one being inoculation with a certain strain.  This is the safest bet and will produce safe, consistent product.  Some of our wine is fermented through a process called wild or indigenous fermentation.  The choice is made on the day of harvest which direction he is going to go and there are many considerations.  Wild fermentation is the old school way to get the job done, and the riskier one.  There are no guarantees with wild yeast.  It is typically found hanging out around the winery.  On clothes, on walls.  Many winemakers swear by wild yeast fermentation.  On the other hand, many swear at it because of its unpredictability.  Choosing this route though will create depth of character, complexity and bigger fruit notes.  This is the risk that we're willing to take.

                          

 

 

Die Deutschen Wein

We are in the middle of grape ripening season.  The Comox Valley’s wonderfully warm spring lead our Deutschen (German) varietals to achieve early ripeness as we kicked off harvest in our 40 Knots Vineyard on Monday with the Schonberger and Siegerrebe.  Our Schonberger is typically found in the locally favoured White Seas blend and L'Orange Blend aged in Amphora.  Our Siegerrebe; Sieger meaning victory, rebe meaning vine - pronounced Tsee-ga-ray-buh, or “Ziggy” is a stand-alone wine and also the name of our famous winery dog, Ziggy!  Check her modelling pose on the front cover of the Winery Dogs of BC, sold down at the winery.

Our L'Orange wine is also being invited into very high end restaurants.  It is a great example of old world tradition meeting new world wines.  What makes this wine special is indeed the traditonal farming methods and using the best grapes, but it is also the aging in our rich salt air and our terracotta amphora that make it a Star.  

"What is so special about this Terracotta?"  The centuries-old world renowned Impruneta clay has a unique blend of natural ingredients found exclusively in this region of Italy. It has a long history of use in the preservation of wine since the Etruscan civilization around 7th century BC. Later on, the Romans abundantly used amphorae for the fermentation and preservation of wine, as can be seen today in the remains of Pompei. 

The Terracotta is a neutral vessel with similar characteristics of concrete tanks because it allows macro-oxygenation, but it goes further as its much more natural and allows the fruit to express its full potential better than any other material for the following reasons: 

1- It's primarely made of minerals similar to those in a vineyard soil so the grapevine roots have been feeding on those elements their whole life. Now the grapes feel just like at home during fermentation and aging. The Amphora will exalt your wine's mineral and earthy tones.  

2 - It allows for natural micro-oxygenation due to the porosity of the walls.  

3- It has an extraordinary thermal insulation capacity that will keep cool whats in it by evaporating excess heat. The fermentation will be slightly slower than you may be used to in other materials, steady and without heat spikes. 

Deutschen wine typically sold in Canada is a different representation of what Germany actually has to offer.  As with most countries they do not export their best.  Commonly seen in Canada are the sweet and acidic Rieslings.  But there are dry wine regions in Germany that represent the beautiful terroir through minerality and liveliness that you wouldn’t see sold here on the liquor store shelves.  Unlike many European countries with strict wine laws, such as varieties allowed to be planted, irrigation and wine making practices, Canada has not instituted these strict wine laws as of yet.  We have it within our grasp to grow whatever suits our climate and through this, we can achieve some wonderful, traditional old world European styles without paying an arm and a leg or hopping on a plane.  We are located on the same latitude as the majority of Germany’s wine regions, so quite a few German varietals grow here with great success.  In fact, through the government-run Duncan Project back in the 80’s, the German Ortega grape was one of the achievers that helped prove that we could, in fact, grow wine grapes on Vancouver Island successfully.  And for us at 40 Knots, we have one of the best Ortega wines. It boasts stone fruit notes of peaches and nectarine, and has an earthiness with softness.

The leaf colouring in this photo truly showcases how each varietal is affected by the climate.  Siegerrebe, on the left, has its autumn ready yellow leaves, higher Brix (or natural sugars), then its neighbour the Pinot Gris.   It suits cool climate locations because budburst is late and fruit ripening is very early.  Not unlike us here in the Comox Valley, Germany’s early ripening has brought them the earliest harvest on record.  Champagne and Alsace were not far behind them. For us, watching each varietal ripen at a different period offers us a staggered timeframe to hand harvest each bunch. 

Keen to get your hands on these Deutschen varietals?  We hire locals to harvest our grapes.  Is it on your bucket list to harvest grapes and watch the fruit of our labour come into our cellar?  We can always use an extra hand.  info@40knotswinery.com or 855-941-8810.  Come in today to enjoy our GUIDED vineyard tours!  

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

Awaiting Harvest

Wine, Wind and Sea. 

Harvest is on the horizon.  We've had a full season with excellent heat units here in the Comox Valley to promote our vine growth.  Our grapes are on their way to becoming ripe and ready to hand harvest.   Once again this year we see our grapes and vines are favoring our biodynamic methods.

Veraison Stage:  All grapes start out a bright green colour- but it's this time of year that the denseness disappears, the skins begin to soften, and to the untrained eye- they start to turn from green to their variety's skin colour.  Veraison is the process of grape ripening, bringing on sugars and lowering acids.  As the acidity decreases, hexose sugars start to rise and the grapes become more concentrated. Physiologically, the sugars have the potential to increase to around 25% from sugar development. As we hold off any irrigation, the grapes are becoming concentrated in sugars as well.  Veraison usually takes 5-7 days and from that point, will reach full ripeness and be ready to harvest.

As ripening continues, the fruit becomes attractive to animals due to changes from acidic to sweet.  This is the stage in which we will be gently placing our netting down to avoid any grape damage.  You may also see some of our staff on foot as we gently coax the deer to leave.  Our resident deer know very well when this happens and we are often greeted by them at the gate expecting us to open up for them.

Another effect of veraison is that the grapes change colour as the chlorophyll begins to break down. The grape skin is what gives wine colour and tannin structure.  So for white wine, the grapes will be harvested and typically pressed right away and passed into stainless steel tanks or terracotta pots.  For red wine's though, the grapes are harvested and left on their skin's and stems for several weeks to allow the wine to absorb its colour and tannins.  

Some grapes such as Pinot Gris have two-toned colours that will start showing up on their skins. This typically white wine has purpled-greyish colour grapes (gris translates to grey) when it's time to harvest.  Some winemakers will choose to leave Pinot Gris juices on their skins for a period to grab a champagne type hue for the final product.  And the colour of Rosé?  Well, that comes from red wine grapes left on their skins for a short period of time- for our 40 Knots Rosé it's 24 hours from Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir. Rest assured, a wine's colour does not come from food colouring or additives- it's all from the grape skins!

(Pinot Gris grapes)

 

It's a wonderful time to pop down to the winery to check out the grapes in all their beautiful colours!  Including our zero skin contact Pinot Gris, our 24-hour skin contact Rosé with red wine grapes and our 2-month skin contact L'Orange wine made with white wine grapes!

 

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

/Wines/All-Wines

June-uary?

 

Wine, Wind and Sea. 

Well let’s hope that June-uary has finally passed and we can get back to our patio excursions and pretend summer.  It’s like May stole June’s weather in toddler fashion and won’t give it back.  Our vine’s have had a tremendous early spring as we saw record growth with that early short’s weather stint but I think we’re all ready to finally put our winter clothes back into that crawl space for good.  Comox Valley’s ocean breezed micro-climate environment create some of the island’s best kept hidden gems.  Long summer hour nights and 900-1200 growing days make for an extended and steady growing season, producing quality grapes through green organic farming and in turn, beautiful red and white wines.  

Layne Robert-Craig, Owner “We currently sit above our five year average for growing degree days.  Our vines are growing into glacial till soil, which is not typical of this landscape but fell into our micro-climate here in this "banana" belt over time.  We have a high pressure/low pressure ridge loop happening, creating straight and constant airflow."  What does this mean for us?  Red and White wine's with special characteristics all unto their own.  There's nowhere else in the Comox Valley, or Vancouver Island for that matter, that sit quite in an environment that our vines do.  

Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir combined make up our Rose, which is close to that dry Provence style that you would typically see coming from the South of France; where they undoubtedly practice what we at the 40 Knots tasting room preach "Rose all day".  Our Pinot Noir on it's own though, shows beautiful signs of an absolutely elegant Burgundian version of the red wine varietal; showcasing wonderful strawberry and sour cherry aromas with a beautiful white pepper finish. Two BC wines that are recommended to have on hand coming into these Summer months.  

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

 

Wine, Wind and Sea

 

WINE, Wind and Sea...

with 40 Knots Winery.  Located 1.5 km from the Saalish Sea on our own little banana belt micro-climate here in the Comox Valley.  I’d like to take you on a journey through each step that the Vitis vinifera vine’s in our 40 Knots vineyard take to produce the fruit that creates our delicious biodynamic red and white wine.  What better time to start than in the Spring with bud burst!  The first stage in the growth is when our vine’s come out of hibernation and start to show some green; kicking things off and preparing for the oncoming growth spurt.  This is where not only the green thumbs but the local deer get excited.  Good thing our fences are secure!

 

 

Our wonderful micro-climate here in the Comox Valley is producing some fabulous, ocean wind-swept wines with a lively, refreshing palate.  We slow, cold ferment; bringing out the wonderful aromatics of each individual varietal.  We aim to intrigue you with wine that showcases our version of some of the best French and German grape’s true fruit potential while keeping our residual sugar components relatively low.  Our beautiful Chablis style Uncloaked Chardonnay, crisp refreshing Pinot Gris and light, tropical patio wine Ziggy (Siegerebe) are just a few examples of wines that really showcase our green farming and organic style.

 

Layne Robert-Craig, Owner “The vineyard had a slow start with a long cool spring. We completed our digs in the glacier till deposit soil to examine the roots (an annual event) and take soil samples for analysis. Worm and ladybug counts are above average and continuing to grow every year. The set of doves are back, and nesting. Our geese have hatched their eggs. And a cougar paid a visit, to the misfortune of one of our sheep. Yet, that’s just a cougar, being a cougar. I wish him no harm. Moreover, a good balance is in on the vineyard for the start of the growing year. Farming is luck and karma. Let's hope for both.” 

 

 

The vineyard workers and tasting room associates alike have come together to prepare the vineyard for the inevitable growth period by training and tying the cordons to the trellis system.  They will be steady now to hold the weight of the shoots when they grow upwards towards the sun, creating a canopy for the grapes that will eventually cultivate underneath them.  We just need some of that warm weather to make it happen. So bring on the sunshine and that delicious BC wine!

 

 

 

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.