Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

The sweet aroma of pressed grapes wafting in the air, with fall acorns dropping all around us makes the winery one of the best places to be this time of year. As we are crushing and pressing grapes around the crush pad at Preque Isle Wine Cellars, chipmunks are scurrying around chasing fallen acorns. Now would be an ideal time for a creekside wine picnic with some of our delicious menu items from the Isle House.

This week we pressed Niagara, Fredonia and Cayuga grapes and will have it available for sale this weekend (Learn More). Next week we’ll be pressing Vignols, Concord, Chardonnay and a few others as we check the vineyards.

Besides local grasp, we have had grapes arrive from the Finger Lakes. Next week’s pressings will also include grapes from the Finger Lakes and the West coast due to the shortage of local grapes from the winter damage. See all the grapes and juices we have made available to our home and commercial customers here.

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.

Pinot Gris grapes hanging on vines under nets being protected from the birds.

Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

This week at Presque Isle Wine Cellars, we are busy pressing Niagara, Seyval , Pinot Gris and Fredonia grapes. The aromas from the freshly pressed juice are amazing- if you’ve never visited us during harvest before, now is the time to visit!

Although our local Niagara juice is sold out, we still have plenty of Seyval and Fredonia juices that should be ready for pickup next weekend (Subject to change, see updated pick up dates). Remember that if we don’t have the local varieties you are looking for (due to the harsh winter), we have west coast grapes and juices you may be interested in. See all grapes and juices.

Next week we look forward to pressing more Fredonia, Niagara and also Cayuga grapes. Be sure to pre-order your juice now to ensure availability. You can really see harvest is in full swing with tractors, grape harvesters and trucks loaded with grape bins moving along the highways in grape country. Please use extra caution when driving around our grounds.

Pinot Gris grapes loaded on the truck ready to be brought to Presque Isle Wine Cellars for pressing.

Consider visiting our Isle House for a wine tasting and to see all the harvest action and smell the freshly pressed juice!

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.

Last Year’s Harvest- Crushing Grapes

Contributed by Dan Wolfe, Associate Winemaker.

Everyone remembers the last two very cold winters, with temperatures ranging from -17° to -30° in the vineyards. This was followed by  a very wet June and July this year. Finally the sun came out in August, finishing the summer up rather dry. These weather conditions provided by Mother Nature did not help the recovery of the crops.

In addition to the vinifera loss, the Traminette and Vidal also suffered heavy bud loss and trunk damage. The Niagara started out looking good, but suffered damage and disease as the season went on.  The vineyards I walked last week  will end up with about 50-80% of a normal crop.

The good news? Concord remain to look very healthy. Despite the local damage, Presque Isle Wine Cellars is making every effort to continue to have product available for all of our commercial and home winemakers. In addition to sourcing the best and available grapes in the area, we are bringing grapes in from the Finger Lakes and West Coast to ensure our customers will have the grapes and juices they need this season. Explore all the products we have to offer here.

What’s next? We will start pressing Niagara this week! Be sure to get in your orders for Niagara as quantities are limited.

ORDER GRAPES AND JUICES NOW

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.

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.