Pray rain

It rained hard last night. The grapes vines welcomed the April rainstorm with open arms. We could use more rain. Early bud break in March, warmer than normal temperatures have pushed our grape vines off to a fast start.  Since bud break, we have escaped any freezing temperatures.  We are happy to report that our vines are doing well. April weather, foggy in morning, warm days and cool nights, has resulted in good vine growth.  However, frost can still be a threat into early May.  Meanwhile, the mild weather and occasional rain fall, such as the one last night, has ramped up powdery mildew pressures in the vineyards and put Michael on alert, being extra diligent to avoid any flare ups of the fungal disease.