Dean Riesen brought wines from of Whispering Vines Vineyards and Winery to Muskogee last weekend to participate in the Shriner’s Flying Fez wine tasting fundraiser.

On March 15 and 16. Volunteers are invited to come help prune two acres of their vineyards in Tulsa.

“We can use every person who wants to come help,” Dean said. “In the morning we will have coffee and donuts at 7 for the first class. We start the training indoors and then go outside to demonstrate correct pruning methods. I will also teach them how to root their cuttings at home.”

Last year 15 family members and friends came to the pruning event. Doreen Riesen said this the first year they are opening it up to the public.

“We have all the equipment, will provide the training, lunch and wine tasting,” Doreen said. “Everyone who helps with the pruning can select a bottle of wine free to take home and they can buy other bottles if they want.”

The Riesens started fulfilling their dream by taking the Oklahoma State University Viticulture and Enology Classes. (http://www.hortla.okstate.edu/grapes/grapes.html) Dean and Doreen both took unpaid jobs at the now closed Natura Winery. Dean started by pulling weeds and worked up to pruning and pressing grapes while Doreen learned the hospitality side of the business.

The grapes they started growing at their Keystone Lake home in 2003, produce about a thousand gallons of wine a year. The grapes are made into 13 varieties of wine.

“We bought these five acres in Tulsa County from the herb farm next door so the soil was already really good,” Dean said. “On this property we grow zinfandel, cabernet franc, cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling, Muscat Canelli and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Those are the types the volunteers will be learning to prune and taking home cuttings from.”

Dean said that there is a lot of variance on actual plants so he will train volunteers for each grape variety.

The grape pruning basics volunteers will learn include:

• Remove all the branches that grow toward the ground.

• Six branches are left on each side of the main plant.

• Cut after counting two buds from the stem.

• Remove old wood (grape clusters grow on this year’s growth).

• How to root cuttings at home.