Spring 2026 Vineyard Update: Insights on Growth and Sustainability

Hello and welcome to our latest newsletter!

I usually send updates more often, but we recently tried switch to a new website provider and after months of frustration—we decided to return to our trusty old system.

The good news: the website is back up and behaving.

Vineyard Update-

After a long and cold winter the vines have emerged from hibernation and look great. We had some very low temperatures in January that hovered around zero. Grape Vines are pretty resilient but we did lose a few Noiret vines to the cold temps. The plan is to replant and retrain the ones we lost and in a few years they will be on par with the rest of the Vineyard.

Pruning was accomplished in March this year. Usually I like to have pruning done by February but the snow pack on the ground made it difficult to maneuver. The goal this year was to really control how many buds we have on each spur or little branch. This decision would later come back to bite me. Last year we had a record high crop and the vines were very productive but this year I wanted to limit how much vegetative growth there is and focus the vine on fruit quality. The way we do this is limit the bud count. With only 20 to 30 buds per vine we can help bring the vine back into balance by restricting leaf and shoot quantity.

The only problem with this strategy (minimal bud count) is the frost risk. This is the sixth Spring with our Vineyard and frost events have been minimal. On April 21st we reached a low temperature of 24 degrees. The Niagara and Foch vines experienced early bud break, and coupled with a few days of 85-degree temperatures the previous week, approximately 75% of the bud and leaf growth was adversely affected. We were not alone in this situation as a large portion of the East Coast had similar damage. The good news is grape vines have 3 different bud types. The Primary bud (which emerged mid April), Secondary and Tertiary. After the first Primary buds and leaf growth were killed by frost the Secondary buds have taken over and are pushing new leaves and flower clusters. Only the vines around the perimeter were affected by the frost as the interior vines were not as far along. Niagara and Foch were hit the hardest and the anticipated harvest in the Fall might be as low as 50% of normal. Time will tell and I am optimistic that the vines will recover and still produce high quality fruit.

The Vineyard floor between rows is also a focus area this year. Last year we planted wildflowers and they looked great. This year we planted Mustard. The middle picture above is sample of mature mustard with their beautiful yellow flowers. Ours should blossom in a few months. The strategy is called cover cropping and has many benefits. Weed suppression, erosion control, soil health and nutrient management are just a few examples. Cover cropping is one of the most effective and sustainable practices in modern viticulture. It involves planting specific plants (grasses, legumes, or mixes) in the row middles, under the vines (under-trellis), or across the entire vineyard floor instead of leaving bare soil or relying heavily on herbicides and tillage. We try to avoid as many chemical inputs as possible and rebuild soil health.

Winery Update -

In the Winery exciting new things are happening. We decided to bring in some outside grapes and wine to offer our customers flavors from varietals that don’t typically thrive in this area. Riesling, one of my personal favorites, is especially difficult to grow successfully here, so sourcing it from other areas allows us to share its unique character and quality with our customers.

We worked with a grower on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes to source some really amazing fruit. Once it arrived in our winery, Fermentation began and after several months is almost ready to be bottled. I am so pleased with the result I cant wait to release it. Wonderful notes of Mango and finished at 1.5% residual sugar. Really nice balance.

The Second wine we brought in is a Washington State Red Blend. A mixture of 38% Merlot, 33% Malbec, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Aged in oak barrels for 7 years its deep, rich and complex. For those of you who like oak and tannin, this is it! Merlot and Cab Sav are also a challenge to grow here. It can be done in this area but I have doubts on fruit quality due to the high temps we can reach in peak July and August.

Another addition to the line up is our own Foch Vinegar. Finished at 6% acidity, its the perfect vinegar for marinades, salad dressings or if you're like me, just love the bite vinegar gives you. Packaged in a miniature wine bottle its a great gift for yourself or anyone who loves food.

We are thrilled to announce that our 2024 Corot Noir has earned a Gold and a Silver Medal at two renowned wine competitions, reflecting its exceptional quality and craftsmanship. With scores of 93 and 89, this vintage stands out for its exquisite flavor profile and meticulous production process. Each sip reveals a harmonious blend of rich fruit flavors, subtle earthy notes, and well-balanced acidity. This achievement underscores our commitment to excellence and passion for creating exceptional wines.

Beneath the Vines: A Soil Science Nerd-Out

From a Satellite point of view the overall health of the Vineyard is great. The above image illustrates the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI.

NDVI compares how much near-infrared light (which healthy plants reflect strongly) versus red light (which healthy plants absorb) is reflected from the vineyard.

Why it matters for vineyards:

• Helps detect vine vigor variability across blocks

• Identifies areas with water stress, nutrient issues, or disease early

• Guides precision management (variable rate irrigation, spraying, or cover crop decisions)

• Useful for monitoring overall vineyard performance throughout the season

The image above illustrates our Nitrogen content in the soil. We are a little low and the cover crop will help with this. After the Mustard has flowered (but before seeds form) we will plow it into the soil and replant with Crimson Clover. The Clover will add Nitrogen and help protect the soil during Harvest in the Fall and throughout the Winter.

I have made significant progress on a long term project of mine. The pictures above are screenshots of the program I designed. I want as much data as possible to make decisions that benefit the Vineyard to maximize vine health and minimize chemical inputs or applications. We have several weather stations in and around the Vineyard that measure Air Temp, Humidity, Wind, Rainfall, Leaf Wetness, Soil Moisture and Soil Temperature. This data gets fed into a Grape Vine Disease model and predicts the current and future disease pressure for my specific site or micro climate. This gives me real time data on a dashboard to make decisions and decide on the best strategy to reduce chemical inputs (which are expensive) without compromising fruit quality.

When are we opening????

The current plan is to open in Late Summer or Early Fall. This is always a difficult decision to time. We sold out of our inventory last year and the 25' Vintage we harvested last year is still in tanks. After we bottle, the wine will rest for about 2 months to get over bottle shock. Once that is completed we can open up and release the 2025 wines.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you enjoy these peak behind the curtain updates. I really enjoy writing these because I don't get a chance to talk about these subjects with everyone that visits.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me through the Website (www.KnoxVineyards.com) or Social Media (Facebook).

Cheers,

Matthew