2001 is the year that we are conducting soil
samples and custom designing our vineyard to accommodated our steep
slopes. We attended the Grape Growers Symposium in Sacramento California
in the 2000 calendar year and we have narrowed or trellising choices.
We
have planted sample varieties in order to better see what varieties and
rootstocks are best suited to our location. We will occasionally
update you via this web site about the progress we are making. We hope
that you will enjoy seeing the progress of a startup winery.
Our location is at 2,450 ASL in Malibu
California overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We look directly down at Zuma
Beach in Malibu to our South West. The nearby wine producers are
Rosenthal wines grown about one mile and one ridge away in the
"Newton" growing region and Saddle Rock Ranch who recently
planted their vines. We suggest trying the Rosenthal 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon
to get an idea of the regions capability.
Some of the lectures that we attended at the
Grape Growers Symposium:
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Glassy Wing Sharpshooter -
The Glassy Wing Sharpshooter is the insect that burrows into the base area
of grape plants and introduces Pierces disease. Pierces disease
slowly kills the plant, slowing fruit production and ultimately killing
the vine. Unfortunately there
is still no easy answer here, especially true for organic growers, the
beast is spreading and there is no definitive prevention. The
introduction of Pierces disease into vines is common and requires
replanting should your vines be stricken. One of the few hopes for
the defense against Pierces disease could well be genetically altered plants
for disease resistance, but this is another subject.
Genetically Altered Plants - About
10 to15 years away
from reality, the science is being done to create disease resistance,
productivity, color variations and tastes. A true dilemma exists
for the scientific crowd, we can create a genetically altered plant
that say, does not get Pierces disease. This may eliminate the
need for pesticides and lower prices, but if the public is afraid of
anything "genetically altered", then there is no market for
the disease resistant plant. This may be the really difficult
choice of the future, "We can stop using pesticides, but only by
using genetically altered plants", what would your choice be ?
Genetically Altered
Yeast - Congratulations to the folks at U.C. Davis! U.C.
Davis has determined the entire genome of yeast. Yes they know exactly
what every gene does, singles, combos, they know. They can make
a red wine, that is a red wine in every way, but by altering one gene,
the wine will be clear in color. Got a wine that rotten egg odor
? Why, Davis can give you a yeast incapable of producing that
off odor. Wines could be elevated to new, very consistent
qualities with very little risk (the one cell yeast leaves little to
the imagination). This is a truly low risk activity, but again
the public is likely not to accept the technology.
I was surprised at the degree of
fear the British had towards anything altered. Seemingly, the fear is
science. Cross breed a tomato by cross pollination and you can receive
awards, but make the exact same genetic change in a lab and you will have panicked
newspaper headlines and laws against it being passed. Genetically
altered produce is already illegal to import into Britain and the public
is truly disturbed by any genetic alteration.
™ Zuma Ridge Wine
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