Frosty Vineyard Roses

Every vineyard morning at sunrise, something catches my eye.

This morning it is the roses.

There are reasons to plant roses in a vineyard:

Tradition

Roses do well in sunny well drained soil, as do grapes. Someone figured that out a long time ago, and somehow, the two just complement one another. On certain sunny summer days, when the roses are a radiant red, and the sky a beckoning blue, this corner of Canton, Ohio really does feel a little bit like Tuscany.

Canary in a Coal Mine

Suited to dry and sunny climates, the two plants can succumb to blights and mildews and pests that thrive in our borderline tropical summer climate.

Blights on the roses indicate that our vines may be at risk. A romantic notion, perhaps, in an age of scientific viticulture, but there is something to be said for interspersing a second species, among acres of thousands of the same plant.

A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose

I have yet to use a rose bush to diagnose a serious ailment in the vineyard. (And regardless, the rose varieties we grow are modern disease resistant hybrids.)

A vineyard rose has a far more important function: It is a rose.

A thing of beauty, resplendent red amongst acres of green. Rampant vines with inconspicuous blossoms but laden with abundant showy fruit, contrasted by thorny shrubs with luxuriant blossom but subtle fruit.

Terroir

Another romantic notion, with some base in science, is that of terroir, that the grapes of a vineyard reflect the local micro conditions of climate, soil, air flow, quality of light, and minerals that are endemic to a particular spot on the earth.

It stands to reason, therefore, that somehow, someway, the visual beauty of the vineyard landscape finds its way in to the wine it produces: the soul of the vineyard in the taste of its wine.

And this being an Ohio vineyard, it stands to reason that the roses we grow should not just look resplendent  under a Tuscan summer sun, but should array themselves beautifully in our full range of Midwestern seasons.

On this October vineyard morning, I think our frosty vineyard roses pass that test.