Chipping Vines

We recently removed about six acres of vines from our Old Mill Block. This was our oldest vineyard block. The vines had been declining for several years due to age, and this is the typical cycle of farming, but it’s certainly a stark sight in front of our winery, particularly if you’ve been here before.
Typically after a vineyard is pulled, we push the vines into a pile and burn them. It’s quick and easy but not the most friendly to the environment. When you burn, the carbon that is stored in the wood is released into the atmosphere.

We are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, so this year, we tried something new: we chipped the vines instead of burning them. The idea is simple: by chipping and incorporating the material back into the soil, we sequester the carbon in the ground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. We’re hoping it’ll have long-term benefits for the vineyard and for the climate.
The process was more labor intensive than anticipated. We had a crew out there shoveling dirt off the roots before feeding them into the chipper (to avoid clogging it), another group tossed the vines in, and someone operated the tractor. It took time, coordination, and a fair bit of sweat. Check out this video to see it in action and hear my takes:

We plan to leave the land fallow for two years, planting a cover crop in the meantime. Later, we will plant vines again.

Sustainability isn’t always about easy wins. Sometimes it means taking the harder path in the hopes of a better outcome down the road. Like so many things in farming, it’s a long game. But we’re always learning and always striving to leave this land better than we found it.