Friday on the Tractor, or Foch this.

Spent the this past Friday on the back of the John Deere, going back and forth and back and forth across a field. This wasn't because I was bored, nor was it because I was just looking for something to do. You see I have this soft spot for a lovely little French Hybrid, that I want to plant, grow and make wine, to share with all of you.

So in order to plant next spring, you start to prep the ground at the very least the  fall before. Ideally if you have all the time in the world, you would prep a year or more in advance. This way you could plow it in the fall. Disc it the next spring. Cultivate to get rid of the weeds and trash. (Trash is basically the dead weeds and grasses.) Grow a cover crop to smother the weeds that are always growing. Cut the cover crop and plow it under to increase the organic matter. Then repeat the whole process as many times as possible before you plant your vines. In my case, because I have a day job, I have to squeeze things in when I can, and this sometimes means leaving things till the very last minute. So I must say thank you for a mild and relatively dry week before the winter solstice. 

Now that the field is plowed, the winter snow, and the freeze and thaw cycles will break down the furrows. Then come the spring I can run over the field with the disc, and hopefully if there is time the cultivator a few times and get it ready for you guys to come out and help me plant some vines. That's right, you guys can come and help plant vines. RSVP to wine@threedogwine.com.

Back to that lovely little French Hybrid. The one that I fell in love with many years ago is Kuhlmann 188-2. Most of you probably know it as Marechal Foch (pronounced "mar-esh-shall-fosh"). Us lovers of the little grape just call Foch. Foch was bred in the Alsace region of France, by Eugene Kuhlmann (1858-1932).  Basically it a cross of Millardet et DeGrasset 101-14 x Goldriesling. Although one reference, (The Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit & Nut Varieties. Third Edition. 1997) states that it could be a hybrid of  Oberlin 595 x Pinot Noir. That could explain my love affair with it, because it shares that same earthy/gaminess that Pinot has. That wonderful stick your nose in the glass and get a snoot full of some wonderfully delicious and different every time.

Foch is a great grape to grow in Ontario. It is hardy to -30 Celsius, ripens by the end of September or early October, even in cold crappy summers. That said there is very few wineries producing Foch in Prince Edward County or even Ontario. Sandbanks Winery www.sandbankswinery.com and Malivoire www.malivire.com are really the only 2 producing it regularly. BC seems to have more producers, Quails Gate www.quailsgate.com is where I was introduced and fell in love with it. If you can get your hands on the Family Reserve Old Vines Foch, I guarantee you will love it.



Again we look forward to seeing you out, getting your hands dirty helping us plant a few vines. We are planning on June 8, 2013 for the planting party. Please rsvp to wine@threedogwine.com.

Visit our website www.threedogwine.com to find out more.

Been Awhile. How have you been?

OK, I know its been a very long time since I did a posting. We had hoped to have our doors wide open by now and be able to share our passion with all of you. But as most of you know sometimes life can give a you kick where you don't want it, or to be a little more subtle you can be dealt a bad card. The best thing to do when this happens is to take a moment collect your breathe and thoughts and start again. Now that I have that out of the way, lets move on.

In the last post I talked about my hunt for Pinot Noir clone 828. Well the search has been over for awhile now. In June 2011, we planted 800 Pinot clone 828, on Riperia rootstock. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2013 growing season, and the harvest of all 4 clones. Pay attention for your invite to come and help us harvest! Can you say Harvest Party.

Talking about parties. We are planning a little Planting Party for the spring. June 8th we are looking for those people who want to get down and dirty with us. A little gardening, a little fun and a little getting to know your neighbors. RSVP to wine@threedogwine.com.

This will give you an opportunity to see what we have been working on and what we have planned. Currently we are in discussions with a couple of contractors to build our winery. As always dealing with contractors is fun and stimulating. We hope to break ground in the New Year and we will be able to give you a tour and talk to you more about our plans in June.

Stay tuned for more posts, now that I am motivated I think I can keep this up on a much more regular basis. Shouldn't be hard since the last one was a year and a half ago.

Time for a glass.
Cheers.
John