The countdown to 2023 has begun, and in this year, the grape fruits under Helan Mountain have spoken for this land with vigorous vitality and superior quality, and handed over a satisfactory answer sheet in the golden autumn season. Each ripe grape in this year, full of Helan terroir, is just waiting to be given a new life, and let's look back on the story of this year's vineyard.
Climate review
climatic review
A smart vineyard system has been built in Meihe Manor, which uses UAV multispectral remote sensing analysis to evaluate and diagnose vineyard seedlings, and uses vineyard NDVI map analysis to judge the growth of grapes in each area, and further improves grape quality and yield through science and technology.
According to the overall data, 2023 is still a year to look forward to, with no major natural disasters throughout the year. 1 The average temperature in October is 138. The frost-free period is 185 days, and the number of light hours is 28334 hours, rain 1245mm, 4 October effective accumulated temperature 21482. This year, we lived up to expectations and harvested high-quality grape raw materials.
In spring, the temperature is low, the fluctuation range is large, the frost weather is frequent, and the late frost appears late, but because this year's excavation time is slightly later than last year, the grapes have not yet budded, so they have not suffered frost damage;From late June to late August, the average temperature increased by 1 compared with the previous year, and the effective accumulated temperature increased by 681. From the expansion of young fruits to the stage of veraison, the accumulated heat of the vineyard is higher, which is conducive to the ripening of the fruit.
The low number of sunshine hours and relatively low calories in September alleviated the problems of rapid sugar accumulation and low acidity at the ripening stage, which had a favorable effect on the glucose-acid balance at the ripening stage. The high temperature in mid-to-late October and the late appearance of early frost left plenty of time for the branches to return nutrients and reserve more nutrients for the next year.
Thanks to the dry and rainy weather throughout the year, the occurrence of pests and diseases this year is relatively light, no downy mildew was found, and the raw materials of grape varieties are healthy and ripe, and the sugar-acid ratio of raw materials has been improved to a certain extent under the attempts of reasonable yield control and water and fertilizer regulation, which has laid a solid foundation for the subsequent production of grapes.
Planting
planting condition
In the vineyard, 300,000 French wine grape seedlings have taken root and grown here, and they have grown into a favorite shape through the alternation of the seasons and the change of time sequence under the careful care of the horticulturists.
Spring is busy with vines
The pruning work began in late February, and the efficiency of winter pruning was greatly improved when the pruning was carried out for the first time in the previous year. On 15 March, the soil in the vineyard was turned up in an orderly manner, and the grey gravel and clay blocks were churned in the spring breeze, thus beginning the hope of spring.
The total effective accumulated temperature in April was 1073, 45 lower than the same period last year6, the germination period of each variety is delayed accordingly, in order to accurately control the yield, the whole garden erases the buds and germinates twice, erases the invalid buds, double buds, weak buds, deformed buds, and concurrent buds without inflorescences, etc., taking into account the results and reservations. A total of 566 acres of 7 parks of vertical poles and main vines have been renovated, which has greatly improved the height of the shelf surface and the binding efficiency of the new shoots of the leaf curtain.
Born like a summer flower
In early May, mineral emulsifiable concentrate and matrine were sprayed to prevent insect pests, and no damage was found in the spotted leaf cicada. From late May to mid-June, the average temperature and effective accumulated temperature were lower than those of the same period last year, and the flowering period of different varieties was delayed. On 20 May, the vineyards were flowering, with plenty of sunshine and no rain, good fruit set and good growth.
This year, the beginning of veraison of each variety was delayed by 4 7 days compared with the previous year, the amount of single irrigation was reduced in the early stage, the length of the secondary shoots was controlled, and the irrigation interval was extended on the varieties such as Syrah, Viognier and Riesling after veraison to maturity, and the water was properly controlled, and a small amount of multiple irrigation before harvest was used to adjust the balance of sugar and acid, all of which achieved good results.
On June 18th, the grapes began to turn color, on the gray-brown old vines, the grapes shed their green coat and put on a gradual purple neon dress, during this period the grapes are no longer hard, the fruit gradually becomes plump and soft, the sugar accumulates a lot, the acidity decreases, ushering in the beginning of ripening, and precipitating the time of summer.
Autumn welcomes a bumper harvest
On August 16 and 31, Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling were harvested and sorted one after another, and in the early morning, the low temperature at this time can reduce the oxidation rate, retain the flavor and aroma of the white grapes to the greatest extent, and avoid fruit spoilage or bacterial contamination. The 2023 white grapes at the foot of Helan Mountain are healthy, with a rich aroma, good acidity, and low pH, making it a pretty beautiful vintage.
From 13 September, the purple grapes also entered the harvest season, with loose ears compared to the previous year, uniform veraison, good ripeness, and a harmonious sugar-acid ratio. The purple jade was harvested quickly, accurately and steadily. During the harvest, we welcomed a distinguished guest, world-renowned flying winemaker Marc Dworkin, to the estate to guide the grape harvest and discuss the next steps of treatment and winemaking.
Hide everything in winter
In late October, when temperatures were higher than usual and there was plenty of time for winter pruning, the horticulturists worked methodically to build the extra branches, reduce the loss of nutrients from the vines, and make the plants grow robustly. In early November, the temperature dropped rapidly, the root system was prevented from frost, and the burial progress was accelerated, and the whole garden was buried on November 20.
With the efforts of all employees, the vineyard has successfully completed various tasks, among which a total of 366 acres of vineyards in B3, B4, C3 and D2 have been awarded the high-standard vineyards in the 2023 Ningxia National Grape and Wine Industry Opening and Development Comprehensive Pilot Zone, providing raw material guarantee for the production of high-quality winery wine in Meihe Manor.
With the ideal of "making the best wine in China", Meihe Estate has been brewing fine wine in this hot land year after year, which embodies the goodwill of nature and the heart of the winemaker. The future is full of opportunities and challenges, and Meihe Estate will continue to make persistent efforts to explore more possibilities of Helan Mountain's terroir, and look forward to more surprises from the 2023 vintage.
The above content is adapted from the Internet, and the infringement will be deleted.
Please drink responsibly, do not drink under the influence of minors, and do not drive after drinking.