deVine Blog

deVine Blog

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March 2008
May 2008

deVine Blog entries from 2006
deVine Blog entries from 2007

March 2008

March 1st, 2008

“I'm back in the saddle again.”
Gene Autry

So this is the first of March? Like ground hog's day, we are
sticking our head out and trying to figure out if we want to
do anything yet. The worst of winter is behind us but the
snow just won't go away for any length of time. We have
to start trimming one way or another. Look at the calendar.
Look out the window. It's a tough call. The vines in the
picture are the Pinot Noir outside the tasting room door.
They're not necessarily the first ones we like to trim, but
they were close to the driveway and the driveway is plowed
and we can't get out to any other vineyards because the
snow is too deep. These are the type of management
decisions I get paid the big bucks for.

We are back to being open six days a week now at the
tasting room (closed Tuesday). We had a great winter.
Saw Memphis, New Orleans, Tampa and Nashville in a
driving trip the end of January. Went to Chicago more than
once. We just got back from a Michigan winery conference
in Traverse City where we mingled with most of the other
wineries in the state. It's great to see all the excitement
and growth in the Michigan wine biz. We have a new Pinot
rose' to release in April, (cool label)... just in time for
Michigan wine month. More on that next month. We're
getting the field behind the winery ready to plant more
Sauvignon Blanc in 2009. This year we will focus on the
Syrah vines we just planted last spring. You'll see them
when you pull up the driveway. The second year is amazing to watch as they climb up the wire. We are trying to create a framework to hold the vines first crop in year three. The
forecast is for cool and wet, followed by April. St. Patty's
day is the same week as Easter...what's up with that? It's
going to be an interesting year. You'll need wine.

May 2008

To every thing, there is a season, turn, turn, turn.
The Byrds / Bob Dylan / Ecclesiastes

May 2nd, 2008

It's the first week of May, everything is in beautiful full bloom, and
it's the first bloom the farm has ever experienced without my dad.
His funeral was a week ago. Dad passed away while working on
the farm, the way he had lived pretty much his whole life. I really
didn't know if the trees would bloom without him here. It just doesn't seem possible. Dad and I planted every tree and vine
that is on the farm today. He always did all of the weed spraying,
covering some 350 acres of planted fruit, driving up and down
each row at least twice every year. When his lung disease meant he had to carry an oxygen tank with him, he just bought a tractor
with a cab on it so he could keep taking care of things. You
control the things you can, and adjust to everything else. He
planted all the grass, worked all the open ground, and kept us all
on our toes with a never ending list of things to do next. There is
a wonderful beauty to the farm, but it doesn't happen all by itself.
It takes someone who cares and who understands all that needs
to be done. When we bought the property Karma Vista now sits
on it was nothing short of a mess. It was almost overwhelming to
stand on top of the hill and see all the old broken trees and
rough terrain that needed to be dealt with, but Dad loved the
challenge and we went to work. He was the fifth generation of
Herman's to care for this land in this corner of the world. A few
summers ago Sue and I drove back to an open field on a far
corner of the farm to find out Dad had planted a four acre field of
sunflowers. They were already head high and nothing short of a
spectacular sight. So much so that we had to grab our friends
Tony and Liz from Contessa Winery and go back there to have an
evening glass or two of wine among the sea of bright yellow
heads. It was magic. Dad always made magic happen. A
thesaurus will tell you that vista means vision, perspective,
horizon. Dad had all that. Karma is the echo of the vibrations we
create. Dad's echo will be surrounding us forever.
We love you Dad.

Karma Vista Vineyards & Winery
6991 Ryno Road
Coloma, MI 49038

Hours
Closed Tuesday
Open: 11 - 5 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, 12 - 5 Sunday

Phone: 1-269-468-WINE (9463)
Email: info@karmavista.com

Last Edited: 05/13/08
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