Chapter 22: Water and Grapes (2)
TL: Hanguk
Dad, who had been curious about the silver bag for a while, asked.
“What’s that thing you’re holding?”
“This? Ta-da!”
I opened the thick bag, and my parents looked over the contents with wide eyes. A blue, carry-on style console with a round lid, even a pressure gauge... To someone who didn’t know, it didn’t look like equipment used for anything in particular.
“A pressure chamber. It’s also called a pressure bomb. It’s equipment used to measure leaf water potential.”
“Water potential? There’s a term like that?”
“Ah, that’s called Stem Water Potential. Usually we shorten it and call it SWP, and you can think of it as an indicator of thirst that the tree tells you itself.”
"Ooh- that's fascinating."
“To measure this, you take this silver foil bag like this...”
I spread open a silver foil bag and covered the petiole area where the leaf meets the stem.
“You have to choose a mature leaf, and in this state you wait about 10 to 15 minutes.”
“Okay. Then while we’re waiting, Dad will ask one more thing. Anthocyanins and tannins? Why are those important in wine?”
“Oh, Dad, that’s an important question. First of all, basically, anthocyanins determine the color of grapes. If there are a lot of anthocyanins, the purple color becomes deeper.”
At this point, Mom asked.
“Is that all, that the color gets deeper?”
“This, Mom, may not seem like a big deal, but it’s surprisingly important. Like the saying that food that looks good tastes good, a deep color raises expectations even before you drink it. In fact, through something called co-pigmentation, it does affect aroma too, but that’s not the important part. Anyway, when anthocyanins increase, the color deepens and the wine score goes up. That’s the formula.”
“A formula... you have to memorize formulas.”
“Good! Our mom has the basic attitude of a student.”
“Back when I was in school, I studied pretty well.”
"Hehehe. And tannin is really the core element for wine, it's the component that creates the texture of wine. You know when we drink black tea and our mouth feels kind of... how do I say it?"
"You mean when it gets all dry and powdery?"
“Ah, well, anyway, something like that... This subtle friction creates weight and structure in red wines like Cabernet, preventing the wine from becoming like water. But the important thing here is appropriate tannin. More isn't always better."
Mom looked at me with a renewed sense of surprise.
“How do you know so much about wine too? Did you learn it at school? But wine is alcohol, isn’t it?”
“...... It’s theory, theory... Wine is the alpha and omega of a grape vineyard.”
“Really, our son is smart.”
Mom accepted my lie completely innocently and patted my shoulder proudly.
While we chatted and talked like that, time quickly passed.
“Alright, now I’ll take it off. When you cover it with a silver foil bag like this, it doesn’t get sunlight or wind, so the leaf’s water status comes into balance with the stem. So if the stem’s water status and the leaf’s water status become the same, then by cutting the leaf and checking it, you can confirm the stem’s water status, right?”
“Oh, I see.”
“Now, in this state, you cut the leaf and insert it into the chamber like this. Did you see?”
Dad filmed it with a camera in case he forgot again. It was so he could keep studying on his own later, since it would be his job to do it.
"Here, slowly increase the pressure at about 0.3 bar per second. Then the moment when water forms at the tip of the petiole...!"
My hand stopped abruptly and I checked the reading.
“Look. It’s minus 9 bar, right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
I tilted my head as I looked at the pressure reading. Seeing that, Dad asked.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Did you not water it well? Minus 9 is kind of right on the edge... From here, if it becomes minus 10, that’s a level where it’s under stress. It means there’s a lack of water.”
“But earlier you said we should give less water?”
“Ah, that depends on the growth stage, but until early spring, it’s better not to give too much stress. Maybe... until June?”
I frowned as I looked at the grapevines.
“I know why this farm’s productivity dropped. It’s probably because water was supplied consistently regardless of the growth stage. The soil fertility weakened after cultivating the farm for a long time, and at the stage when they should first build up the canopy and the photosynthesis engine, they gave too little water, and then from veraison to harvest, when they should be applying stress, they gave too much. So the condition of the fruit couldn’t have been good. Especially with the Cabernet Sauvignon we grow, right before harvest we’re supposed to get to the point where you almost don’t give any water at all... And on top of that, pests and diseases hit, so it was bound to fail.”
I immediately opened the drip irrigation valves more, and my parents looked around the vineyard vines with serious expressions.
"My goodness... We didn't know that and just thought they were growing well..."
Mom, looking deeply upset, kept stroking the vines, and Dad asked anxiously.
“It’ll be okay now that we’ve increased it, right?”
“Yes. It’s not too late yet. Increase the amount uniformly across the whole farm. To about minus 7 to 8. If you give a lot, even to 6. You learned how to do it, right?”
“Yeah. I watched what I filmed and practiced on my own, so I’ll try doing it.”
Even after that was said, Mom kept her lips tightly closed, clearly still upset.
“Don’t worry too much. These are kids growing in the best soil in the world, with biochar compound fertilizer and even air fertilizer packs. Look, doesn’t the soil feel different?”
At those words, my parents examined the soil around the vines and said,
“It really is different. When we step on it, the feel is different right away. It’s like stepping on a sponge.”
Mom’s expression brightened again at the talk about soil. The needless guilt she felt toward the vines seemed to fade.
“When harvest time comes later, the grapes will tell us how much care we put into them. They’ll grow incredibly well, so don’t worry too much.”
"Okay, Mom won't worry because I have my son. And Mom will raise them well as my son instructs."
I thought it was a good thing that we checked the water potential with the pressure chamber today. If the timing had been a little later, the yield might have ended up lower than expected due to water shortage. I suspected that the former farm owner, Mr. John Anderson, had heard somewhere that it was good to give a little less water and did it that way.
After finishing packing up all the equipment and heading down, a few people were unexpectedly standing at the entrance of the farm. The person at the very front looked familiar, and when I took a closer look, surprisingly, it was Pierce Morgan from the agricultural extension office.
“Mr. Pierce!”
When I ran up and held out my hand, he took it and said,
“Nice to see you. These must be your parents?”
“Ah, yes.”
Dad and Mom approached with surprised expressions at the sudden visitors. Pierce greeted them with a smile and then introduced the people accompanying him one by one.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Pierce Morgan, the Regional Agricultural Program Director at the agricultural extension office under the Department of Agriculture. This is Dr. Lewis, a soil scientist. He specializes in soil structure, organic matter content, and residual pesticide testing.”
“Hello.”
“Ah, yes...”
Dr. Lewis shook hands with Dad, who looked bewildered, with his thick hand.
“This is Karen Willis, an expert in pest management, and Eliza Lee, who is in charge of water quality analysis, and lastly, Mark Evans, who coordinates the organic certification process.”
Dad still looked puzzled.
“What brings you here today...?”
Pierce slowly looked around the surroundings and then got to the point.
“Right now, across California, we are selecting pilot sites for the ‘Regional Organic Transition Pilot Program’. Simply put, we’re creating ‘model farms’ that the USDA and the UC Davis Agricultural Extension Office will directly support and manage for the next three years.”
In that moment, my heart started pounding.
“Could it be... our farm?”
“That’s right. We had received an official notice from the Department of Agriculture and were thinking about which farm to select, and after you visited our office, your farm came to mind.”
Then he looked at Dad and continued.
“Redwood Farm has good conditions. You’re already practicing eco-friendly farming, and since you’re in the early stage of transition, it’s easy to establish a plan. Are you thinking of applying?”
Mom glanced at me and then asked carefully.
“If we do that... what changes?”
Pierce smiled broadly and opened the folder of materials he had prepared, explaining calmly.
“First, there are transition cost subsidies. You will receive annual subsidies covering 75% of the costs for certification application fees, soil and water analysis, organic fertilizers, and purchasing beneficial insects. If equipment or facility improvements are needed, low-interest loans are available, and you can also rent equipment from the agricultural extension office.”
Dr. Lewis immediately added,
“We will conduct soil and water tests for free every year, and if residual pesticides are found, we will immediately establish countermeasures.”
My parents looked at each other, already seeming swayed by the financial support alone, trying hard to manage their expressions. Pierce continued his explanation.
“Second, there is technical support. A team of experts that can be deployed immediately when pests or diseases occur, and we will directly design the Organic System Plan as a three-year farm operation manual. Of course, since this young fellow is doing well, if you prefer not to, you may do it yourselves.”
“I’ll do it myself.”
As if he had expected that, Pierce twitched his eyebrows and continued explaining.
“Third, marketing support. You can use the title of a pilot program farm, and Redwood Farm will be introduced on the USDA and UC Davis websites and newsletters. We can also host buyer invitation events.”
Dad, filled with anticipation, nodded and asked,
“Then how long will organic certification take?”
“It seems Brian knows this well. The legal 36-month transition period remains the same, but we provide priority scheduling for inspections and document consulting. The probability of passing in one go without reinspection becomes much higher.”
He then looked straight at me.
“Brian, if you’re ready, I’ll help you step by step starting with the paperwork. Would you like to apply?”
I took a moment to steady my breathing and exchanged glances with my parents. Dad’s expression showed he had already made up his mind, and Mom smiled slightly.
I nodded.
“Alright. We’ll apply to have Redwood Farm join the pilot program.”
A heavy smile spread across Pierce’s lips.
“Good. Today will be an important day for this farm.”
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