Monday 27 June 2016

Vine Bloom and Fruit Set

June is nearly over and it has been a very wet and cool month.  This is not unusual for June, just a stark contrast to some of the early weather we have had.

Bloom on Chardonnay
The vineyard has continued to grow despite the weather and we are still a bit ahead of previous years. All varieties have completed bloom and moved into fruit set.

So what is bloom and fruit set?
The grape flower does not have conspicuous petals like other plants. Instead, the petals are fused into a green structure commonly referred to as the cap. The cap encloses the reproductive organs and other tissues within the flower. A flower consists of a single pistil (female organ) and five stamen, each tipped with an anther (male organ).  The cap separates from the base of the flower, becomes dislodged and usually falls off, exposing the pistil and anthers (bloom phase). The anthers may release their pollen either before or after cap fall. Pollen grains randomly land upon the the pistil, allowing pollination. The  subsequent growth of berries is called fruit set. 

Whites:
Siegerrebbe, Chardonnay, Madelein Sylvaner and Angevine:
A bit behind other whites.  Full bloom has occurred with partial fruit set beginning.

L'Acadia Blanc, Osceolo Muscat, Auxerrois, Petit Milo, Epicure and 48-05-49: 
Full bloom has come and gone and full fruit set is in place.

Fruit set on Petit Milo















At the tail end of bloom on 48-05-83



Reds:
Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Regent, 48-0-83:
A bit behind other reds.  Full bloom has occurred with partial fruit set beginning.

Labelle, Baco Noir, Leon Millot:
Full bloom has come and gone and full fruit set is in place.



Fruit set on Leon Millot


As always, comments and feedback is encouraged.  Hopefully we get some sustained sunshine and heat and get our fruit on!

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