Vineyard Development

It takes a lot of people to [re]develop a vineyard, view the NVG Associate Members Directory to get a head start!

Timeline

New Development:
Long timeline: 3-5+ years
Development team consisting of:

Engineers
Geologist
Archaeologist
Biologist
Hydrogeologist
Soil Scientist
Arborists
Viticulturist

Redevelopment:
Permit approval after plan submittal:
Track I Replant 4-6 months
Vinerow direction different than original, minor expansion of footprint

Track II Replant 2-4 weeks
Vinerow direction effectively the same as original, same footprint

Redevelopment Preparation

Redevelopment starts by asking ourselves the question: “what did we learn in the last 20 years from this site?”

Vine Removal
Be sure to fit the equipment to the job not the other way around, the goal is to get the entire vine out at once to avoid costly additional passes.

Soil Mapping
Identify your ‘road map’ and let the soil determine your pit locations.

Ripping
Ripping has to do with your vineyard balance, take careful consideration when it comes to types of shank used and direction.

Development

Trellis Installation
This is one of the largest impacts on cost, so it is important to get it right the first time. Consider using tools such as GPS and aerial imaging to lay out and prep the trellis system beforehand.

How aerial imaging and data can inform your redevelopment project:
1. Understanding vigor patterns
2. Documenting existing vine count, canopy gaps, disease
3. Support ground truth of existing plant and soil conditions
4. Study cause of underperforming vines
5. Create more accurate soil maps based on sampling
6. Inform remediations (amendments, rootstock, block boundaries)
7. Determine placement of moisture probes
8. Monitor and measure heat stress
9. Ensure adequate cooling coverage (misters)

Nursery
Planning and communication are key, as well as building a positive relationship with your nursery. Make the decision on what you will plant and the lead time needed for each (Bareroot Dormants require more lead time than Green Growers).

Optimum Order Timing:
Dormant vines – April 1st (following season delivery)
Green potted vines – April 1st (current season delivery)
Tall vines – January 1st (current season green vines or following season dormant delivery)
Fastracks – April 1st (current season delivery)
Cuttings – Based on availability
Custom Orders – November 15th (current season green vines or following season dormant delivery)

Management

Mechanization
Plan for the future, will this vineyard be mechanized one day? If so, this will effect things such as:

Trellis system for machine harvesters
Under vine cultivation
Mechanical leafing
Multiple functions at once

Irrigation
The vineyard of the future needs to use less water. Some ways to do this include:

Automation – scheduling and applying irrigation by block
Frost protection and heat event cooling
2nd drip hose installation
Good record keeping

You need to collect the data and build out your database now to prepare for the future.

Some questions to ask about irrigation for your redevelopment:

Storage requirements are now something to think about. Will your redevelopment have higher water requirements which means you now need storage tanks you never needed before?
Infrastructure, will you be reusing your existing irrigation infrastructure? Is it sized out properly, how old is it? Do you need to replace or improve parts of it?
Irrigation management style: primary and secondary are pretty much given in the valley, but do you want to incorporate cooling? Frost provisions? Are they water or wind?

Additional Resources

Sustainable Vineyard Practices 2023: Panel on How to Develop a Vineyard for the Future
John Felice, Pellenc
Jon Terry, Acme Engineering
Ken Noren, Wonderful Nurseries
Melissa Staid, VineView
Sander Scheer, FARM Napa Valley