By Julia KOHUT

Though many folks don’t know it, the Crescenta Valley boasts a vineyard that produces grapes for a limited number of bottles of wine.

Last year, they were eaten by a mother bear and her two cubs before there was time to stop them. This year, though, the vineyards of Deukmejian Wilderness Park have been harvested and are ready to go.

Stuart Byles is the main caretaker of these vines and has worked tirelessly to protect his grapes from a host of pests, including bees and birds, and the heat of the sun. He even came by the vineyard with an air horn the night before harvesting to scare off any bears that hoped to get a tasty treat. While some of his crop has dried out or has been eaten by critters, Byles’ hard work paid off and he was able to harvest a number of bunches on Sunday.

First planted in 2004, Deukmejian boasts four kinds of grapes. Initially, there were Abouriou, Alicante Bouschet and Red Flame grapes that were planted by the city. The former two are a type of wine grape, while the latter is grown for eating. In 2014, permission was given to add three more rows. One of the added rows was a fourth kind of grape that was found at the top of the nearby hills. A cutting was taken for testing and it was found to be a Burger vine, a particularly rare white wine grape. Byles added the cutting to the vineyard, and it is now featured along with the other vines.

Despite the initial setbacks of losing some of the produce and fighting off the local wildlife to protect his crop, Byles is excited for this year’s yield. Previous testing he’s done has shown that the grapes have a good brix value, or sugar content, for the wine making process. After plucking, the grapes are crushed and aged. They then go through a process called racking, which is when the juice is moved from one container to another.

“This is usually when everyone has a glass in hand to have a taste,” Byles joked, as it is during this time there is typically a wine tasting held.

This is the way wine has been made at Deukmejian for the last several years under the Stone Barn label and, while bottles are never sold, several are usually given to the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. One level of Membership in the Stone Barn Conservancy available at the Historical Society website (cvhistory.org) entitles the member to two bottles of wine.

Byles’ personal favorite is the Alicante Bouschet.

“It’s something of an underdog, often overlooked by winemakers,” he said, “but it has an earthy quality and makes a nice wine.”

Alicante and Abouriou are both red grapes that are most notably grown in France. The white Burger grape is also of French origin.

Though none of these grapes is native to California, Byles has put his all into caring for them – and, ultimately, producing an admirable native wine.