The harvest season is slowly beginning to slow down. So far this year we have processed more than 30,000 pounds of grapes and we still have more yet to do. This year many of our red grapes ripened at the same time which made it a little hectic scheduling the grape crusher destemmer and the press. But this year we have a larger grape crusher destemmer (destemmer cage below) which has the capacity to process between 20-30 tons an hour.

Our old crusher destemmer could only process 1/10 this speed. Needless to say, the grape crushing and destemming process was faster this year. Having the ability to process the grapes faster allows us to harvest at the perfect time during ripening which also helps to make a better vintage. Harvesting at the right time is very important because as the grape ripens the balance is constantly changing. As the grape ripens the sugar levels rise which is usually accompanied by the reduction is acid of the grape. If the grapes are under-ripe at harvest the sugar  will be too low and acid too high resulting in a low alcohol wine, very acidic on the palate. Under-ripe grapes also have much less complexity and lack depth. If grapes are over ripe the sugars get too high and acid gets too low resulting in a wine that is hot/harsh due to the high alcohol and tastes flat and flabby from the lack of acidic structure. Over-ripe grapes also are more susceptible to insect infestation and fungal growth. When we harvest at the peak of ripeness we get a wine that has a well-balanced mouth-feel, the correct alcohol and acid balance along with aromatic depth and character.

These are just a few of the details of harvest season, there are lots more details if you are interested. Just stop out, we are always enthusiastic to share our passion and we would be happy to get into the details with you!!