I always forget what a wonderful mood nature and new experiences can bring you. I helped out at a vineyard recently and learned how to trim and prune multiple varieties of grapevines to ensure a great harvest and beautifully-sculpted bushes.
The grapes grow in Wawawai Canyon and the wine is named the same. Wawawai Canyon is a beautiful gorge area with enormous mountainous hills reaching down to the water of the Snake River. The hills provide nooks and crannies for farming, growing grapes and as we heard when we were on the mountain, wild packs of coyotes howling that they had found a meal to share.
The owner of the vineyard showed us how to cut and trim the 20+ year-old vines perfectly, leaving the proper spacing between new buds on the vine and ensuring balance of the whole plant so it would grow evenly. It was great to learn a new skill and see the love and care that go into grapes for wine.
I kept getting distracted by the beautiful views! The vineyard was up a huge slope on the mountain and it was easy to sit and prune while still staring off at the rolling hills. What a lucky piece of land to be on.
The owners of the farm/vineyard were so nice and inspiring, I hope to one day have half as many animals and land they have today! Living the peaceful and sustainable life truly is the dream for me. They were so friendly and generous with their knowledge of the plants.
Our hosts were gracious enough to let us take a few cutting from their Malbec vines to try and grow on our own. I look forward to returning to the vineyard and helping trim more bushes as the season goes on. Hopefully I can come back this fall for harvest time too and learn how to pick bunches of grapes from the vines. I look forward to seeing how the vines grow after their trimming!
Photos: Elizabeth Adan
Elizabeth Adan is a Freelance Writer, Publicist and Brand Ambassador. Her blog Aquaberry Bliss is a unique outdoor lifestyle blog dedicated to expanding your world and inspiring your creativity. When Elizabeth isn’t traveling, you’ll find her writing, hiking or gardening. Find Elizabeth on Twitter @stillaporcupine and on LinkedIn.
Aquaberry Bliss 