Growing Good Grapes
October 12, 2019winemakers,wine harvest,quality vs quantity,wine growers,good grapes,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
"Good wine is made in the vineyard”. This is a phrase you often hear when you…
The Optimal Output Is ...
October 6, 2019winemakers,wine harvest,quality vs quantity,optimal harvest,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
I went to a Pinot presentation and workshop hosted at Bramon and run by Jan…
The Rhythm of Work
September 28, 2019winemakers,wine harvest,quality vs quantity,physical endurance,Dogs of the vines,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
Farming is really hard work. It takes a particular kind of stamina to do field…
It's Quality
September 16, 2019winemakers,wine harvest,quality vs quantity,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
The scale of wine farming is like everything else: as you produce more, so your…
Do not despair!
September 7, 2019winemakers,wine harvest,phylloxera,Crown gall,bunch rot,noble rot,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
Miraculously, almost all of our first vintage was sold before we could blink.…
Pinot Noir
September 1, 2019wine farm,Burgundy,winemakers,wine harvest,Oregan wines,New Zealand wines,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,anton smalPlettenberg Bay
Pinot’s real home is Burgundy and if you know the grape you probably harbour…
Stamina & Bonding
August 25, 2019The Crags,heartbreak grape,pruning,secateurs,cordon arm,weeding,field-work,internodes,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
In between spraying and suckering (stripping excess side-shoots), you need to…
Training the Vines
August 17, 2019The Crags,heartbreak grape,Deltex,pruning,secateurs,cordon arm,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
The vineyard started to look like something. Especially when we stood at the…
Disaster: Nematodes
August 9, 2019The Crags,heartbreak grape,nematodes,cutworms,thank heavens for dogs,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
Because we had started so late in the winter, the vines were already in…
Pinot Noir it is!
August 3, 2019wine of origin,Plettenberg Bay Winelands Association,The Crags,heartbreak grape,Once Upon a Vineyard,Pinot Noir,Plettenberg Baywine farm
We identified a part of the farm which we thought would be best-suited for the…











