Those Wierd Vineyard Signs

Many people ask me what those little signs are for posted on various stakes within Napa Valley's vineyards. They serve two purposes, of which one is particularly important this time of year during the Napa Valley grape harvest.


One, the signs can indicate to the vineyard workers and winemakers a different clone of the same grape. For example, the entire vineyard might be entirely Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. However, there might be three or four (or more, or less) clones--different types of Cab Sauv grapes. The idea is that each clone has a particular characteristic which the winemaker wants to highlight.

Secondly, the numbers serve as a simple way for the vineyard workers to keep track of the work they are doing in the vineyard as a whole, whether it's pruning or picking. It sounds funny, but the vines really do look the same (!) so this numbering system helps keep things straight.

In the picture above, the "2" represents the clone (type 2) and the "31" represents the row number. Simple, simple, simple...but needed, needed, needed!

Anyway, that's my info for this post today. Enjoy!