I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and that our wines made it to your celebrations! As the Vineyard Manager for Adelsheim, it’s always an exciting experience for me to share our wines with loved ones and see their appreciation firsthand. Hopefully our wines helped make your days brighter, full of love and laughter as 2025 came to a close. 

I always enjoy reflecting on the past year and making resolutions, but this year I decided to do something a little different. Taking inspiration from social media, my resolutions came in the form of a list of “what’s in and out for Ariel in 2026.” As we kick off the blog series, I’m embracing the idea a little further and have put together Adelsheim’s list of “What’s In and Out for 2026” (as determined by me haha). Please enjoy!

What’s In & What’s Out: Winter at Adelsheim: Vineyard Edition

What’s In: Pruning

For many vineyard stewards, pruning is the favorite activity of the season, next to harvest. I can certainly say that it’s mine. But some might be wondering why? Why do we prune grapevines and why do we like it? To answer the first question, the goal of pruning is to focus the energy of the plant and keep it’s growth and fruit production in balance. When left unpruned, grapevines continue to branch out almost like a bush, and will try to carry more fruit that it can ripen or bear sustainably. By pruning the vines annually, we have the opportunity to set the vines up for success both for this years’ crop and for the season following. 

Sometimes the vines get too tall and we need to start growing a new fruiting arm lower on the plant, a process that gets started in winter. We also have the opportunity to evaluate the plants without their canopy (leaves) blocking our view, so we can identify weak plants or areas by the size of the canes, both in height and diameter. We prune vines differently depending on plant health and age, adjusting our expectations for what the plants can carry sustainably. Evaluating the plants at this point in the year also gives me time to develop changes to our farming practices for the upcoming season, and who doesn’t like being prepared ahead of time? 

As to why we like it, my answer is that it’s fun, and maybe that’s just me. It’s hard work and requires strength and stamina to prune professionally. But sunny days pruning in the Willamette Valley vineyards are some of the best.

What’s Out: Winter?
morning mist over the vineyard

2026 is off to a weird start, weather-wise. I’ve been a bit nervous over how few frosts we’ve had this winter so far, and how little snow! The storms at the end of the year definitely helped by refilling the irrigation ponds, but the weather certainly hasn’t met my personal winter needs. The mild end to the year may have kept the plants from entering full dormancy a little longer than normal, but I’m staying hopeful for February. Plenty of days left for time on the mountain and for the vines to get their ZZ’s in.

What’s In: Animals Grazing in the Vineyard
Sheep Grazing in Adelsheim's Willamette Valley Vineyard

Over the holidays, over 100 sheep (and lambs) grazed Ribbon Springs, Boulder Bluff, Sherwood and Quarter Mile, thanks to Naked Grazing. A new baby was even born on Christmas Eve at Quarter Mile Lane. Our own team of livestock (sheep, pigs and ducks) has been working their way slowly across 10 acres Richards vineyard, too. Ribbon Springs and Boulder Bluff are especially difficult to mow in the Spring when the grasses are high and the ground is still wet. For the past two seasons, tall grasses have made it easy for cutworms to climb into the vines and eat the green buds before they’ve opened, too. The sheep will be back for another grazing pass in the Spring, and our hope is that they’ll help control the cutworm damage and also buy us more time for mowing.

What’s Out: 4 acres at Calkins Lane & Bryan Creek
Adelsheim Vineyard sign

Over the next few months, the vineyard team will be pulling out four acres of vines from the estate vineyard and Bryan Creek. The old vines at Bryan Creek are safe, though, so not to worry. The majority of the vines are being removed because of poor fruit quality that’s been noticed for a number of years. Only the best for Adelsheim’s wines! The most noticeable absence of vines be directly in front of the winery and tasting room entrance. This block of Pinot Noir has kept up on it’s quality, but is too close to one of our wells and needs to be removed for us to maintain our water rights. We’ve yet to decide how the new space at the front of the property will be utilized long-term, but will make for a dramatic flower scape during the 2026 season.

What’s In: Flower Cover Crop
Vineyards in winter

Speaking of flowers, Adelsheim’s cover crops are full of them this year. We are lucky to have a close relationship with Buzz Seed Cover Crop who helps us create custom seed blends and also offers incredibly diverse seed mixes for our properties. We had great success last season with a pollinator-friendly flower mix at Quarter Mile that rolled through over 20 types of flower blooms well into July. The flowers got a lot of love and attention, so this year we seeded it into the blocks visible from the tasting room and outdoor patio, near the garden for everyone to enjoy. The mild weather made great conditions for germination, and the first flowers (Alyssum) are already out, with Phacelia, Poppies, clover and mustard well on their way.

What’s Out: Of Ideas 

As I put this list together, I realized I had far more “in’s” than “out’s” and reminded myself that what’s interesting to me may be a little too farm-nerd for others. But hopefully this gives you a snapshot of what we’re excited about in the Willamette Valley vineyards for 2026. Cheers to a new year, and to your own “In’s and Out’s.” Thanks!

Ariel Daly- Adelsheim Vineyard Manager