What the FOG is Springing Up in the Vineyards?

​If you’ve driven past a vineyard lately and spotted folks darting between rows like grapevine whisperers, you’re not imagining things--May and June are some of the busiest months of the growing season. Crews are out early and often, walking the vines, checking progress, and giving the plants the TLC they need to grow into this year’s vintage.

There’s no slowing down now—this is the season of bloom, fruit set, and serious vine wrangling. Everything that happens in the next few weeks sets the stage for the grapes you’ll be sipping in a bottle down the road.
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Let’s de(mist)ify the action unfolding out in the vineyards right now, because it’s full steam ahead in the fog and sun!

Late spring means grapevines are flowering—yes, they bloom! Tiny, delicate blossoms appear where grape clusters will eventually form. These aren’t showy like roses, but they’re critical. Each flower has the potential to become a grape… if the conditions are just right.

Foggy Fact: Too much rain, wind, or chill during bloom can mess with pollination, leading to something growers call "shatter"—when some grapes just don’t form. It's nature’s way of editing, but it makes vineyard managers bite their nails.

With proper vine nutrition and the right weather conditions, we get to fruit set—when those flowers transform into teeny tiny grapes. Think of it as the “baby bump” phase of the vine’s growing season. Right now, growers are walking the rows daily, checking how things are setting and watching the weather like hawks in raincoats.

Spring growth is wild. Vines shoot out like they’re training for a marathon, and growers need to tuck and train them into neat rows so sunlight and airflow can do their jobs. This is called shoot positioning, and it’s like teaching a bunch of overenthusiastic kids to stand in a line for recess.
This helps prevent disease and ensures even ripening later on. (Sunlight = sweet grapes.)