Vineyard Manager’s Responsibilities: How Many Hats Do You Wear?

In my last post “A Vineyard Manager’s Work is Never Done This Time of Year” I described the many things that are keeping me busy almost 7 days a week. I made a list of various duties. But what really are the responsibilities of a vineyard manager?

Vineyard Manager’s Responsibilities

Job #1 and primary responsibility for a vineyard manager:

• Direct and oversee the entire farming operation relative to the many facets of grape growing for both wine and table grapes. In many instances the vineyard manager works directly for a winery or production facility, but the manager can also work for small independent growers and also larger vineyard management companies
• The manager will be responsible for and should have knowledge of staff supervision
• Farm equipment
• Irrigation systems
• Wine tasting
• Contracts
• Budget preparation and analysis
• Staff training
• Crew supervision
• Government laws and regulations
• Pesticides
• Establishing goals and objectives for the farming operation
• Payroll
• Accounts payable
• Receivables
• Inventory
• Fluency in Spanish is not a must but an understanding of the language is extremely important

Vineyard Manager Requirements?

• The vineyard manager usually has several years of experience farming grapes
• Either a degree in viticulture or related fields, or has accumulated numerous years of experience working in the field

A Vineyard Manager’s Work is Never Done This Time of Year

You want to be a vineyard manager? Do you know what it means to move at “warp speed” as a vineyard manager? It means six-day work weeks, endless hours, and very little rest. It means being on call nearly 24-7. It means seeing your family sporadically throughout the coming months. And it means that your blogging endeavors are often put on hold. Here is a brief snapshot of my life this time of year:

Vineyard Management Tasks: In Season

• We’re not only on our second round of fungicides sprays
• We’re cultivating
• We’re planting
• We’re monitoring soil moisture
• We’re irrigating
• We’re suckering vine (unwanted growth in the plants)
• We’re trellising
• We’re frost protecting
• We’re selling grapes
• We’re repairing equipment and vehicles
• We’re field checking for diseases and pests ( good and bad )
• We’re monitoring budgets to ensure we’re in line with our projections

Insanity of The Season

Long days are turning into longer ones and Holidays and Saturdays are things of the past. We’ll be in this mode for the next two and half months. Close communication and continual coordination are paramount if we’re to maintain our sanity during this time.

Jess Jackson: An American Original, Wine Industry Icon

“When my family and I founded Kendall-Jackson in 1982, we simply wanted to create extraordinary wine from California’s best vineyards” – Jess Jackson

Jess Stonestreet Jackson passed away today  from complications due to cancer: Mr. Jackson was 81 years old. He will be remembered as one of the leading pioneers of Chardonnay and one of the most “successful independent winery owners in the world.” Mr. Jackson led a full and very interesting life. Here are some facts and things he did along his journey.

Jess Jackson Facts You May Not Have Known

• Raised in San Francisco during the Depression
• Worked as a farmer
• He served as a policeman
• Worked on the waterfront as a longshoreman
• Put himself through U.C.Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law
• Worked as a land-use attorney
• Founded a law firm that argued several cases in front of the Supreme Court
• Owned two champion thoroughbred racehorses
• Owned and operated “more than 35 individual wineries from around the world”
• 2009 inductee into the Vintners Hall of Fame

Wine Trivia & Fun Facts: How Much Do You Remember?

I’m always getting questions like, “how many grapes does it take to make a bottle of wine, or how many cases of wine do you get from a barrel of wine?”. The Sonoma County Grape Growers put out a fun fact sheet which answers some of those questions.  Keep in mind that these numbers are just averages and vary depending on numerous criteria, such as variety, location, clones, etc.

Many hillside vineyards only produce a couple tons, while valley floor vineyards could produce as much as seven or eight tons per acre. Also, to help improve ripening and oftentimes quality, growers will thin fruit, which will affect tonnage. But keeping all this in perspective, the following numbers are just fun facts:

Do You Know Your Wine Trivia?

Fact: A single acre of Sonoma County Vineyard land produces:

• About 5 tons of grapes
• Which equates to about 13.5 Barrels of wine
• 797 gallons of wine
• 3,985 bottles of wine
• 15,940 glasses of wine.

Fact: One Barrel of wine contains:

• Roughly 740 lbs of grapes
• Produces 24.6 cases of wine
• Which equates to 1,180 glasses of wine

Fact: One Case of Wine contains

• Approximately 30 lbs of grapes
• Produces 12 bottles of wine
• About 48 glasses of wine

Fact: One Bottle of Wine contains

• 2.4 lbs of grapes
• 25.6 oz of wine
• Anywhere from 4 – 6 glasses of wine.

The Music of the Vines

For vineyard managers and field workers this is really the best time of year. January starts the pruning season and most of our workers have returned from a long Christmas break, refreshed and eager to start the new season.The pruning season is coming to an end and with it a touch of sadness.Though cold and even wet at times, there’s a sense of calmness and tranquility that weaves itself through the densely planted vineyards, as highly skilled workers prune the unwanted and aged wood.  Vines are shaped and reshaped, leaving wood cuttings down the center of the vineyard rows, to be mulched and incorporated into the life cycle of the soil.

There are dreams of a harvest to come and appreciation for the harvest that just passed. But the best part of this early season work is the melodic sound of pruners cutting, sniping and shaping each and every vine.  I can’t think of a more peaceful and tranquil time than the season of pruning in the vineyards.

Frost Events: Terra Spase, Wind, Water, Late Night Calls

Now that frost is right around the corner how do you protect your vineyards? Here are some of the things we do to prepare for low temperatures:

• Testing and retesting wind machines
• Testing and retesting sprinklers systems
• Stationing orchard heaters in strategic locations throughout our vineyards
• Propane and gas tanks have been filled and moved back into the fields.

Sprinkler Systems & Wind Machines

While sprinkler systems are the best option for low temperature frost protection, wind machines can be very effective as temperatures hit the freezing point.

Terra Spase Weather Data

In 2010 we had about 15 frost events, in which either water or wind was used to protect our vineyards. Terra Spase provides up to date weather data, so we know what the temperatures will be like throughout the night and early mornings.

Sensors Connected to Phone Lines

In our coldest vineyards we use sensors that are connected to phone lines. When temperatures reach 37 degrees, we receive a very unnerving phone call, usually in the middle of the night, informing us that our nights slumber is over.  In any given night it will take us about two and a half hours to activate wind machines and sprinkler systems. So much for a good night sleep!

Licensing Week in Napa Valley: Farm Labor Contractor’s License

This is one of my favorite weeks. This is licensing week! Every year I spend about three full days renewing my Farm Labor Contractor’s License, which allows me to legally operate my vineyard management company.  From getting pictures taken to trips to San Francisco, licensing has become a very time consuming event.

What is the Purpose of a Farm Labor Contractor’s License?

By law, every vineyard manager, who hires workers to perform farm related tasks, must be licensed by both the State of California and US Department of Labor. This annual process includes:

• One day class
• 20 page application package
• Testing every two years
• Special bond
• Annual cost, due mainly to mandated weekly payrolls, to my operation of approximately $15,000

Without this license, I would be breaking the law and the possible fines range from $5000 dollars to jail time or both. There are exceptions to this law; but most vineyard management companies, that I’m familiar with, fall outside of these exceptions.

Additional Licenses to Perform Our Services

• Pesticide Business License to purchase chemicals
• Qualified Applicators License to apply chemicals
• Hazmat Permit to store chemicals
• City Business License
• County License/fee to operate vineyards
• Class A & B licenses to move equipment and grapes during harvest

A Few Questions for You to Ponder?

These are just some of the other license’s (above) needed for us to operate our business. How would you answer the following questions:

• What licenses or requirements do you have to fulfill in order to operate your business?
• Does the licensing help you differentiate your work from your competition?
• Will the requirements pay dividends in added profits to your bottom line?

Farm Plans 2011: Hope For A Better Year

As we move into February, my to-do list is starting to grow. This past month was somewhat quiet, but those days are quickly disappearing as we continue with pruning, planning and always budget development.

Late Harvested Vineyards

Late harvest vineyards are the first to be pruned, but we’re also sensitive to colder areas that might be hit with early frost.

Farm Plans 2011

Last year’s irrigation, petiole, fertilizer, harvest and vine mapping reports are being analyzed to help create our 2011 farm plans, along with putting closure to the 2010 growing year.

Grape Contracts 2011: Early Start

It also appears that winemakers are out early this year, starting to secure grape contracts for the 2011 harvest. This time last year we were getting very few calls and the low level of interest was unnerving. So the early interest in Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc may be starting a trend that could make for an exciting first couple months of the new year.