A Time When Vigilance is Most Crucial 
As KC and I were leaving for the airport Monday morning for Pinot in the City Chicago, I really noticed the humidity in the air. Just as we left the office it started to sprinkle. Hmmm, warm, humid, sprinkling rain, sounds like perfect conditions for powdery mildew, a grayish white fungal pathogen that can infect the leaves and berries of grapevines. Nothing about that sounds like a delicious addition to wine, does it, and that is one of the main reasons we spray in our vineyards. Starting in Spring we’ll start spraying sulfur or oils to try to knock back any overwintering spore populations and continue with sulfur and potassium based products until about a month before harvest. Just as important are the steps we take to make the environment less hospitable by removing leaves to allow sunlight and air circulation. Our program this year has worked quite well but with so much time between now and harvest, vigilence is crucial.-Bill Sweat, Proprietor
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