2017 Harvest Update: Sept 15, 2017

Lynn Pressing Wine

Lynn on the press

Our harvest officially began this past week. At our last report, we were watching the weather cautiously and hoping to avoid any negative effects from the hurricanes. No worries! It was a week of sun and fun for the grapes and continued positive crop development.

The press pad crew, Jim, Adam and Lynn, have been diligently going over each piece of equipment making sure they’re all clean and ready to go. This preparation paid off, and our first week of harvest week went smoothly. Well done, gentlemen. As usual, we started off with Niagara, Fredonia and Seyval, three varieties which are the backbone of several of our most popular blended wines.

We also brought in our first vintage of Grüner Veltliner. After considering grape chemistry (Brix, total acid and pH), fruit condition, and most importantly, flavor, the grapes were hand-harvested on Tuesday and brought to the winery for processing. Next step: fermentation!

Vidal Grapes in Winemaking

Jim Bartlett and a young Vidal vine

It’s harvest, though, and we always keep looking forward to what is next. This means more vineyard visits and different varieties. Jim and Darlene Bartlett have been growing grapes for us for several decades, and primarily grow Fredonia, Chancellor, Chambourcin, Traminette, and the Vidal used in our famous Eskimo Kisses, as well as a few more varieties in smaller quantities. The vineyard is just down the road, behind the winery, a short tractor’s drive away.

Vineyard visits with Jim are always educational. Jim worked at Penn State’s Grape Research Lab in North East before he and Darlene purchased their own vineyard in the ‘70s. He is constantly making changes to the vineyard in an effort to improve quality of the grapes, to optimize quantity—not just total yield, but optimal yield given each season’s conditions, and to minimize disease pressure. For us, all this care and attention ensures that we get a consistent, high-quality crop year after year. Jim will be bringing Fredonia to us soon, followed by Chancellor.

Overall, fruit quality is looking very good. The cool temperatures of the season are manifesting as higher acid content in the grapes; sugar content is what we normally expect with a chance for even better than normal levels in later varieties . Most importantly, the fruit is free of disease, and varietal flavors are developing nicely as the fruit ripens. The sun and heat we’ve had the last few days have only enhanced this, and we so far have been spared any ill effects or unwanted rain from the hurricanes that have devastated parts of the Caribbean, Texas and Florida.

Bob Green
PIWC Executive Winemaker

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