Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/25/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/25/21

Vineyard view

Sometimes, you just get that chance for a great view from the top. Francisco was working on the roof of a winery one day, and took this photo. Wine country looking good.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/18/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/18/21

Smoky view

We’ve had some smoky days here in wine country. The all two familiar red morning sun and low hanging haze. Here’s a view from one morning in the vineyard:

Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/11/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/11/21

Rattlesnake

Every season we come across rattlesnakes in the vineyard. It’s one reason we’re so serious about keep the vineyard rows clear and clean - giving the snakes less area to feel comfortable and hang around. Here’s a picture of one we found working the vineyard rows one day we were…

Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/4/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 10/4/21

Rocks

The landscapes we work are generally not that rocky, but sometimes we have projects - drainage, building retaining walls, that require the right rocks.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 9/27/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 9/27/21

New Vineyard Infrastructure

Laying out and building new vineyard infrastructure is exiting. The new growth and shiny wires. Here are a few photos from when we added trellis wires to help support the new vine growth.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 9/20/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 9/20/21

Veraison 2021

When the grapes begin to turn their purple, pink, red colors we call it veraison. It’s exciting and begins the count down to harvest. Here’s a photo of the change.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 8/5/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 8/5/21

Grafted

We always enjoy grafting. It’s another example of how awesome life is. Take one plant, add the other, wrap them up, so they are in close contact and they grow together, giving each other life, and eventually giving us wine grapes.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 8/2/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 8/2/21

Keeping It Clean

It’s hard work, but also satisfying working. Tending the the vines, and keeping the vineyard clean. When the vineyard looks this good, there’s no doubt that it’s been well taken care of.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/26/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/26/21

Nets

We’re not the only ones in the know… that know what good fruit looks and tastes like. The birds are on it. In some of our vineyards. We net the fruiting area of the vines to keep the birds at bay, and the wine grapes in tact.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/22/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/22/21

Field Views

We talk about the vineyard as the field. We’re farming. We’re farming grapes. Some of the vineyards we tend have other fields around them. It’s good to be in the field.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/19/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/19/21

Wine Grape Update

Most of our vineyards are on the cusp of veraison - getting ready to be ready, so to speak. They’re looking good…

Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/5/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 7/5/21

Good Vineyard Views

There’s no argument that the light at sun rise and magical. Match that with work in a vineyard, tucked between mountains, and well… good view. Cheers!

Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/28/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/28/21

2021 Grapes

2021 wines grapes - they’re growing and we’ve got bunches and bunches hanging from the vines. No longer baby grapes, but definitely still green.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/23/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/23/21

Sunshine in the Vineyard

The sun has been shining strongly; we’ve had heat waves and the vines are soaking it up and reaching to the sky. It’s an exciting time in the vineyard with all the new growth (yes, we’re bias and love being in the vineyard all times of year)!

Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/20/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/20/21

Suckering vines

As the vines grow, we continue to guide them towards the best growth - funneling their energy towards growth and premium grapes. We’ve been in the vineyards suckering the vines and removing shoots.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/4/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/4/21

Early June in the Vineyard

The rows are looking good and we’re starting to see baby grapes!

Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/1/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 6/1/21

Weed Whacking

Summer weather is here, and we’ve had our first red flag warning (hot temps, high winds, fire potential). We’re keeping up with weed whacking requests, and staying safe.

Francisco and Krista Solorio 5/17/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 5/17/21

Orange

We upgraded our safety equipment and are loving it. Thumbs up!

Francisco and Krista Solorio 5/10/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 5/10/21

Burn Clean Up

Unfortunately, as we all know, we’ve had a few intense wild fire seasons in the past few years. We’ve helped cleaned up in burned vineyards, and continue to help properties stay clear and clean in anticipation of the next season. For more information, you can also check out the blog post on the Ceres blog “With fire now a fact of life in wine country, vineyards plan for aftermath.”

Francisco and Krista Solorio 5/2/21 Francisco and Krista Solorio 5/2/21

2021 Drought Conditions

The governer of California declared a state of emergency for two counties this past week due to drought conditions - Sonoma and Mendocino, with particular concern in the Russian River Valley. With only 12.77 inches of water this year, we’ve only had about 38% of expected rainfall (as compared to historic average). And the little rain the weekend before last, was definitely just a teaser.

Here are links to some recent articles on the news:

San Francisco Chronicle

CalMatters

SonomaWater

Solorio Vineyard Management