It has been a very cold wintery week in May. There has been a lot of damage done to the new buds and shoots. Hopefully in another two weeks, or so, we will have an estimate of how much fruit may be available this fall. It certainly will be less than last couple of years. The quantity available will be posted as soon as we know more. Thank you so much for your patience.
Late Harvest Varieties 2020
We have three varieties of grapes available for late harvest this year; Chardonel, La Crescent and Vignoles. The brix is high and the taste is very sweet. This is a great year for grapes and we are able to offer late harvest fruit.
Harvest Update
We started taking brix readings and Marquette is already 19 and La Crescent is 20. There is still fruit available for purchase, so please share with your friends and make wine together.
Enter veraison 2020
Morgan Vineyard has entered veraison. There is an abundance of fruit this year, and we are very thankful. For the first time we will be offering U-Pick Concord grapes on a given weekend, which be determined in a few weeks and posted on the website. If you have any questions, please feel free to call, e-mail or text.
Fruit set finished.
The vineyard made it through the frost with flying colors, despite the fact that one of our frost fans burned to the ground. There is a tremendous amount of fruit throughout the whole vineyard. I will update quantities available in a couple of days, and then daily when orders come in. We have begun taking orders already. If you are interested in placing an order, please call Anita at 616.648.3025 or e-mail at morgangrapes@gmail.com.
Welcome spring 2020
The spring rains and warming weather are beginning to wake up the vines. The vineyard did a lot of healing last summer from several years of damage, and winter was kind to them. We planted a new variety this year, Itasca, and replaced many dead vines with new, healthy ones. Anticipating the new year.
Crop Spring 2019
It appears the winter hardy varieties survived the Polar Vortex, with limited damage. The pounds available will be limited on some of the more tender varieties. The vineyard has not received a frost yet, so that is encouraging. As soon as we have fruit set, the website will be updated with approximate pounds available for each variety, and an updated price list.
Spring 2019
Spring is approaching in West Michigan and it is an exciting time of year. Additional new vines for planting ship next week. We are going to use concrete trellis poles for the new plantings instead of the treated wooden poles we have used in the past. The vineyard pruning is finished, and warmer, sunny days are encouraging the vines to prepare for bud break. West Michigan experienced a “Polar Vortex” in January, and the recorded temperature at the vineyard reached -25 degrees Fahrenheit. We will know in a few weeks how much fruit set we will have. Once again, this is an exciting time of year at the vineyard.
July 5, 2018
The spring started out cooler than the average, but as the summer is progressing the temperatures are above average. As of today, this season is approximately one week ahead of schedule. After veraison, we will keep you updated on the progression and timing of ripeness.
Flowering of the grapes at the vineyard has commenced and it smells wonderful. So fruity. It appears Marquette will have more fruit this year than last. Last year this variety had less than optimal fruit set. Seyval appears to be about the same as last year. Merlot and Cab franc are a little less than last year. The young Riesling are growing well and hopefully they will be harvestable in 2019. After fruit set is complete I will be updating the pounds available for each variety. Hopefully that will occur in another week or so.