Skull Valley Wine Grapes

In 2005 my husband Dave and I sat on the porch swing and discussed planting a vineyard. Even though it seemed improbable in this high altitude, arid, Juniper Pinyon region just outside of Prescott, Arizona, we decided to give it a try. After some research and the advice from a Spanish winemaker now living in the area, we decided to plant Grenache and Tempranillo. In January, Dave rented a bulldozer to clear a hilly field just west of our log cabin. We left some of the Alligator bark juniper trees and a couple of rock outcroppings. In February, Dave rented a backhoe and began the process of digging trenches in the graniteous ground. There were also some sandy spots. A primitive soil analysis determined we had 1/3 sand, 1/3 loam and 1/3 silt. We filled the trenches with horse manure, covered them up and then started to layout the vineyard. March 06 With all the wrong tools, we got the trellis's up (most of them straight). Dave claims its just like building fence which he had lots of experience with. We used t-posts and spaced the rows 5 feet apart. April 06 Installed a drip system. We continued to read books, magazines and started talking to anyone who knew anything about growing grapes. May 06 Drove to Modesto, CA pulling a 1960Airstream Trailer to pick up 700 grape vines ordered from Duarte Nursery. We had chosen to a drought and cold tolerant root stock for the grapes and decided to add petite syrah, pino grigio, and sauvignon blanc to our list. The grapes fit perfectly in our little Airstream and we headed back home to begin planting them. our growing season is short so we wanted to get them into the ground as soon as the threat of frost was over (2nd week in May). With the help of friends and family we got the plants in and they looked beautiful. That summer many of the little plants grew to over six feet tall. What a reward!