May sees the Niseko snow melted and the days warm enough for planting outside. Even though Takadai has a lot of wild mountain grapes (Yama Budou) we are not sure if we can successfully grow wine grapes here or not. This year we have chosen to trial 800 vines on a south facing slope up from the lakes, as being in a perfect north south orientation the vines will get sun all day. The varieties are Kerner and Sauvignon Blanc. Kerner is a white that was bred by crossing Reisling and Trollinger, a red grape. It is known to be a hardy and Coco farms produce a very drinkable wine from Hokkaido stock.

Some friends came up to help with the planting and layout of the vineyard. It is indeed an interesting experience and I now have a use for the Pythagorean Theorem. The vines need to be slapped around and treated mean to stimulate growth. We cut the roots right back and trim the stems so that only 2 or 3 woody buds remain. The vines are planted on a 45 degree angle to the slope of the ground so that they don’t break off under the heavy layer of snow. To a novice like me snow would seem to be a baddy for grapes, but experts assure me that it is good as it gives nature a break, kills fungus and pests and is an insulating layer from the extreme cold.