Bachelor's button wildflower Archives

View from the Round Pond terrace

Vineyard colors at Round Pond

Rarely does one see colors in among the vines unless it is Autumn in wine country. That’s why we were surprised to see these vineyard colors at Round Pond, with the trees in the distance lining the Napa River. This experimental block of Cabernet Sauvignon at Round Pond was planted over a year ago. The blue flowers are Bachelor’s Button and the red flowers are Poppies. The idea in this experiment is to attract beneficial insects to the vineyard block. In turn, these beneficial insects will deter detrimental insects that affect the vines. Usually, cover crops of this nature are plowed under as the vines begin to bud. That is done because the cover crops will bring nitrogen to the soil. If the cover crop is not plowed under it will continue to grow and use soil nutrients needed for the vines. The vineyard manager crew at Round Pond is unsure how much energy the wild flowers will sap from the Cabernet, but will continue to monitor the health of these rapidly growing vines. It will be another five years before these Cabernet Sauvignon vines will be mature and yield a normal amount of grapes at harvest time. There is a second reason for growing these wildflowers between the rows. This particular vineyard block is what visitors to Round Pond see on the terrace of Round Pond’s wine tasting area. As you can see from the photo, it is a beautiful carpet of vegetation. Round Pond winery is located in the Rutherford wine region of the Napa Valley. The winery is open by appointment only. Round Pond produces olive oils and vinegars in addition to their lineup of wonderful wines. The focus is on Cabernet Sauvignon.