Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

The season this year started out very cool and wet throughout the month of June. The weather finally broke in July, when things started drying up and the sun came out. This preferred weather for the vineyards continued into August, further assisting the crop. As I continue to walk vineyards and test grapes for sugar, it’s exciting to see the grapes that survived the last two harsh winters are now half way through veraison (the ripening of the grapes). We are now just a few short weeks away from the beginning of harvest- local grapes and juices are coming!

This week the California Central Valley juice pails will be arriving for our customers who pre-ordered them. This is a great way to get the juice you want that won’t be available this year from the local vineyards. Still interested but missed the pre-order? Call us at 814-725-1314 to inquire about any extra availability we may have. We will continue to have select California varieties available throughout the season- more information here.

Be sure to pre-order all your desired grapes, juices, and young wine now to reserve your desired grape varieties and quantities, as certain varieties may be in limited quantities because of the past two harsh winters (but we have worked hard to find acceptable alternatives to those local varieties that are not available!).

See a list of all available varieties and estimated order by and pick up dates.

Dan Wolfe joined PIWC in 2011 and is our Associate Winemaker. Dan started making wines from Wine kits in 2007 and the hobby quickly became an obsession. His habit then escalated to buying Fresh Grape Juice at harvest time, and he started experimenting with blending different wines. Dan has entered his wines in many local and out of town competitions, bringing home Gold medals and best of show in places like California. He is a member of the American Wine Society and judges wine competitions locally and around the state.

Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

As we get closer to harvest the days are flying by. Exciting things are happening this week!

Monday we got our new crusher and destemmer and the guys are grinning from ear to ear with this new and improved piece of equipment. This will allow us to crush and destem our grapes with better quality and quantity. Bring on the grapes!!

Today we got a container load of Australian juice containing 70 drums. This was brought over by ship and then trucked direct to us after passing customs, the juice kept at a constant 34°- just above freezing to maintain freshness. This is a very high quality juice that we have for sale at this time for Home Winemakers and Commercial Winemakers. Supplies are limited, and we are taking orders until sold out. Learn more and order here.

Our local Lake Erie Region grapes are continuing to go through veraison, or the change of the color of the berries. Grapes are coming soon!

Additionally, Presque Isle Wine Cellars would like to welcome Bob Green to our winemaking team as our new winemaking consultant. Welcome, Bob!

Dan Wolfe joined PIWC in 2011 and is our Associate Winemaker. Dan started making wines from Wine kits in 2007 and the hobby quickly became an obsession. His habit then escalated to buying Fresh Grape Juice at harvest time, and he started experimenting with blending different wines. Dan has entered his wines in many local and out of town competitions, bringing home Gold medals and best of show in places like California. He is a member of the American Wine Society and judges wine competitions locally and around the state.

Our three varieties of Australian juice- vibrant color, excellent quality, fresh, and oh so beautiful!

Our anticipated Australian juices have arrived from the land down under, and they are beautiful! They are awaiting your purchase and pickup in our refrigerated trailers. Remember, this is a unique opportunity to work with fresh Australian juice, We searched long and had to find a source of juice at this level of quality. You won’t be disappointed.

From Our Winemaker

The juices shipped straight from Australia by boat in a refrigerated container with a constant temperature of 33°, just above freezing to maintain freshness. After arriving at port in NY,  and clearing customs, it was expedited by truck to Presque Isle Wine Cellars in the same refrigerated container, assuring us the freshest juice possible.

The juice arrived in plastic liners placed inside of metal drums. A great deal of effort has gone into the packaging, allowing as little air contact as possible. This juice is not from concentrate, but is 100%  Aussie juice- no water added.

This is a product I would suggest every winemaker to take advantage of, as I look forward to this as being the highest quality juice that we have ever sourced out.

Our Australian Juice is awaiting your pickup in our refrigerated coolers.

Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

The blueberry fermentation is nearly complete and is being pressed this week. They’ll be racked several times and filtered as they age over the next 5-6 months. With four varieties in the bottle now we’ll be looking at your favorites to decide which to bottle with the 2015 harvest.

We are starting to see some color in the Fredonia Grapes. Once this starts (this is called veraision) the grapes are usually ready to pick in approximately 30 days- so Fredonia grapes and juices are coming soon!

In the winery, we are hustling to get wines bottled and emptying our tanks to make room for this year’s crop. Once again, our Tap the Barrel wine event was a huge success and we would like to thank everyone that participated. It’s always nice to be able to get a chance to talk to our home winemakers and customers.

Dan Wolfe joined PIWC in 2011 and is our Associate Winemaker. Dan started making wines from Wine kits in 2007 and the hobby quickly became an obsession. His habit then escalated to buying Fresh Grape Juice at harvest time, and he started experimenting with blending different wines. Dan has entered his wines in many local and out of town competitions, bringing home Gold medals and best of show in places like California. He is a member of the American Wine Society and judges wine competitions locally and around the state.

Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

Today I spoke with Mike Moorehead, and also visited our vineyards in the area to get an idea as to how our grapes are coming . This week, Concord grapes are receiving the final spray before harvest (our early Concord juice should be available for pickup Sept 19th to 29th: pre-order now).

The crops in the Finger Lakes have already started seeing veraison, or the onset of ripening and the change of color of the grape berries.  We should start noticing it in our local vineyards this week.

Our local growers are also spraying for the third flight of the Berry Moth, which could potentially be the most destructive pest to the grapes. The wine grapes are getting their final tie ups this week. We are also seeing growers hedging the vines to allow sunlight to come in, and reduce stress on the vines and wires. Harvest is approaching! Are you as excited as us?

Dan Wolfe joined PIWC in 2011 and is our Associate Winemaker. Dan started making wines from Wine kits in 2007 and the hobby quickly became an obsession. His habit then escalated to buying Fresh Grape Juice at harvest time, and he started experimenting with blending different wines. Dan has entered his wines in many local and out of town competitions, bringing home Gold medals and best of show in places like California. He is a member of the American Wine Society and judges wine competitions locally and around the state.