During my trip to Captain Vineyards this year 2026 vintage, I have learned two new skills in viticulture including "tucking" and "suckering." I am Hazel, granddaughter of Susan and Salah Captain and author of the "Back Off, Birdies!" blog post. I have been to Captain Vineyards so many times that naturally, I thought that I have learned everything there is to know about viticulture, but I have once again been proven wrong today.
After a long morning of visiting Alcatraz in San Francisco, my grandmother led me into the endless rows of crop with some overgrown vines; some were hanging so far into the pathway that you have to duck to get to the other side.
Whatever I am going to do, I'll have a lot of work to do, I thought. My grandma told me that I am going to be doing tucking and suckering today. For tucking, I was supposed to organize the remaining shoots for the ideal amount of light and air exposure. In less scientific terms, you have to grab the vines that are sticking out and stuff them inside the wire, so the rows don't become overgrown. After our trip to Alcatraz, this sort of reminded me of imprisoning the vines, keeping them from hanging out and getting in the way.
I would much rather be a vine and be tucked then be suckered, though. With suckering, you basically decapitate the vines that are sticking out of the lower trunk of the vine, leaving it more clean-cut than before. If you didn't, I suppose it would grow into something like a forest floor; maybe: Vineyard Floor. All this work was a bit tiring, but mostly educationally fun, which is a rare saying from me.
During all this talk about the work, I forgot to mention that the vineyard has gotten a new puppy, Luna. She is a rescue and is very sweet and playful. She is nice and gentle most of the time, although she will lightly jump on you and puppy-nip you in excitement if you've been out for a while. I guess you cannot expect more in a puppy that has a name that goes so perfectly with Lunatic. Now that's a crazy coincidence. She's one of the sweetest dogs I've met, and I hope you get the chance to meet her on your vineyard visit!
In conclusion, this has been a very eventful trip and it's only the second day. I cannot wait for whatever lies ahead!