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Although this was hard work, keeping them weedfree for the first 2 years while they became established was even worse - we actually kept the 5 acres free from weeds with hand hoes, a backbreaking task, but we were lucky with the weather as 1990 was a hot dry summer. We had to do almost everything ourselves as we didn't employ anyone then. We now have 6 people working for us, so our staff planted the vineyard, together with son Sam, next to the Camel Trail. They laid a black plastic mulch under the vines to keep them weed free, which is important in the early years so the young vines have no competition for nutrition. Also the dark colour reflects heat upwards to the vines so they can bask in their own micro-climate. This time we are contracting out the planting of the eight thousand new vines, as our own employees are too busy looking after the existing vines and working in the winery to spare the time. The new varieties will be Seyval Blanc, a French hybrid which makes an excellent base for sparkling wine, and Bacchus, which was originally developed for areas in Germany where Riesling wouldn't ripen consistently every year. The new planting will bring our total number of vines to over twenty-two thousand - a daunting prospect!
Sam will miss the new planting, as he leaves for a two month stint working at Kim Crawford's winery in New Zealand in the middle of March. It's a great opportunity to gain hands on experience of harvesting and winemaking in another country, and he will probably come back with lots of new ideas for Camel Valley Vineyard.
Annie Lindo
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