Nova Cadamatre

Harvest 2011 – Week 9 – The Beginning of the End.

In case you haven’t heard we’re going to have a weather event this next week.  Now, being from the south, I love the way the western weathermen talk about precipitation.  I hear “weather event”, “Major trough”, and my personal favorite “heavy drizzle”.  In the south, weathermen would usually say “It’s going to rain!” and then go on to tell you when and how much.  Rain is a four letter word out here and I suppose that comes from the fact that it only rains during the wintertime thus has the same connotation that snow or ice does in other parts of the country accustomed to the normal condition of rain being a possibility year round. 

Anyway, it’s going to rain.  No doubt about it!

So this past week will be known for this harvest as the week before the rain, otherwise known as the panic week.  There are a few varieties that can handle a bit of wet weather such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  However, varieties with thinner skins like Chardonnay or Pinot Noir don’t hold up with really wet conditions.  Best case scenario the fruit is diluted a bit and the sugar drops however in the worst case the berries start to rot or fall apart.  In a year of already low tonnage because of the rain during flowering, there were few winemakers who wanted to take the chance on these more susceptible varieties.  This week we’ve seen a LOT of Chardonnay; Sonoma County, Solano, and Mendocino making the bulk of it.  Wine growers were rushing to get fruit to the wineries before the deluge comes. Much of this fruit is below what Californians would consider normal sugars however the majority is above 22 Brix.  Make no mistake; this will not be a normal winemaking vintage for California.  Like 2010, we’ve seen cooler weather than normal prevail over much of the state.  Many of the white varieties that we’ve already harvested have come in under what would be considered normal Brix and the quality is very nice.  I’ve only had to add Tartaric to one lot so far this year and that is next to nothing compared to what we normally add.  Acids are beautiful this year!  Sugars are not as dismal as everyone would like to believe and so far the flavors have been really nice.  Even the natural nitrogen in the fruit is higher than it has been for the past two vintages which make the yeast very happy! When the yeast are happy everyone is happy. 

Thus Week 9 brings us to the beginning of the end.  Now that rain is going to be starting its only a matter of time before the harvest comes to a close.  Generally Halloween is a good end date and whatever hasn’t been picked by then is in serious danger of not making whatever quality level it was intended for.  The next four weeks can make or break the vintage when it comes to red varieties.  We’ll see where we end up.

Harvest 2011 – Week 8 – Harvest Halfway and MW preparations

At this point we’re halfway through the harvest season.  In another 8 weeks it will all be wrapped up.  Wine will be tucked away in barrels or tanks either going through ML, extended maceration, and sur lee aging.  Between now and then is the most complex time during the harvest.  This is when the bulk of our North coast fruit comes in. NorthCoast is made up of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake Counties.  Next week we’ll be inundated with Sonoma County Chardonnay as well as seeing our first Cabernets come in from Lake County.  This week has seriously warmed up with temperatures between 95 and 100 degrees.  Hot but not hot enough to really do damage like we had last year.  Just hot enough to kick the harvest into gear.  A ton of the reds are sitting around 22 Brix and as I heard someone put it for this harvest “22 is the new 24”.  I’m very excited about that prospect!  Chardonnay on the Central Coast is also coming in steadily this week.  My vineyards for Emma Pearl have ripened nicely and are now being received to begin the process of primary fermentation.  The Viognier that I use as 10% of the blend (give or take depending on the year) is already almost finished and ready to be sulfured.  Acids have been amazing and the flavors are already showing very well.  One of my earliest lots, a Gewurztraminer, is finished with primary, has had SO2 added and was clarified.  At this point I’m just trying to figure out in what blend will the beautiful spicy aroma fit. 

I’m also trying to work on my MW studies during this crazy time although it does tend to get put to the back burner this time of year.  Since my disappointing results that I wrote about at the beginning of the month I’ve been able to rally through the support of many of my fellow students, colleagues, friends, and of course family. I feel like I have a much better plan than I did at this time last year (when I was still in shock and moping about). This week I cut up the last 11 years of theory exam reports and filed them in folders based on the theory paper the questions and commentary came from.  My goal for the weekend is to get them sorted in to question buckets to try to see if I can discern a common theme (outside of the obvious themes of the papers) among the similar questions.  In November, I will be traveling to Bordeaux and Burgundy thanks to a scholarship sponsored by AXA Millésimes with five of my fellow MW students from around the world.  I’m very excited and love the fact that I’ll be touring in Burgundy, the classic home of my favorite red variety, Pinot Noir!  I’ve resurrected my essay question basket and am seriously considering re writing all the essays that I’ve done running up to the exam this past year.  I also would like to finish my World Wine File, an excel file distilling all the pertinent information about regions and countries of the world including climate, soils, laws, varieties, and general descriptors.  Perhaps one day I’ll put it up on this site as a paid subscription information source.  Heck, maybe it will be a book eventually. Who knows, but right now I want to get that massive database finished! These are huge goals but I’m going to try.  After all achieving the MW is a huge goal as well and if one is going to dream why not dream big?

First, I have to get all the grapes put to bed… Bring on the 2^nd half!

Harvest 2011 – Week 7 – The Waiting Game

This past week brought cooler temperatures to the regions around Asti Winery.  We saw a noticeable slowdown in sugar accumulation and thus a drop in tons being delivered as growers waited to see movement again.  This week is forecasted to be warmer and hopefully this will kick ripening back into gear.  Chardonnay is coming in more rapidly now and the Pinot Gris is tapering off pointing to the second phase of the harvest during which we use oak during fermentations and the tank planning needs to be more long term rather than a few weeks as wines go through Malolactic conversion and stay on lees.

The crop is still short as estimates are falling short of what is actually on the vines.  I hesitate to throw out numbers but let’s just say we’re removing trucks more than we’re adding them. It seems to be a state-wide trend. 

So we’re waiting…

Waiting to see how the season will go.

Waiting to see how the remaining crop estimates will stack up.

Waiting to see what the quality will be on the high end reds. 

Waiting to see if the weather and tank space will hold out.

I haven’t been out in the North Coast vineyards very much for reds yet this year.  I’ve been busy with whites so far.  We’ve had a fewLodired varieties come in so I’m sure the North Coast reds varieties are working there way towards ripeness but this will not be one of those years where the Cabernet will reach 26 Brix. California may have to content itself with some lower alcohols for this vintage as it did last year. This is an exciting prospect for me but not everyone shares my sentiment.  Only time will tell for sure however.

Harvest 2011 – Week 6 – How One Decides When to Pick

We just finished Week 6 which saw the bulk of the Pinot Gris that we’re harvesting along with the first part of our Chardonnay.  We even brought in some Zinfandel last week at 26+ Brix! No joke!  Weather was a bit warmer last week with some days in the 90s but it has still remained fairly cool for this area.  Week 6 is essentially the half way point of the season however the bulk of the craziness is still yet to come as weeks 8-10 is when the North Coast fruit really kicks into gear.  Pinot Noir was harvested last week on the Central Coast last week from North Canyon and Chardonnay is beginning this week although acids remain very high.  We’re talking total acidities of 9 or higher (for those who don’t know how high that is, normal acids around harvest are between 6-7 for whites and lower for reds). 

Then it comes down to when the winemaker decides to pick.  This is a tricky time of year. As with many of the decisions that winemakers make this time of year, picking time is critical in setting up wines for success later in their lives.  It is also one of those decisions that should be considered carefully but once decided one should not second guess themselves.  There are several factors that go into a picking decision; vine health, fruit analytics, flavor development, weather, and logistics. 

For vine health, it is important to make sure the vines have the ability to ripen the fruit further should you want to leave it hanging longer.  Vines that are shutting down do not want to continue to put energy into fruit that could be put into sugar storage for over the winter.  Once the fruit has reached physiological ripeness (see my earlier post “What is Ripeness?” for more info on ripeness) the vine wants to put its efforts into going into dormancy for the winter.  Some other reasons why you’d want to pick for vine health is a defoliated vine.  Frost, hail, wind, and drought can all wreck havoc on a canopy.  Frost fries the leaves causing them to dump Potassium into the fruit. This totally screws up the analysis of the fruit and can cause fermentation issues.  Hail, wind, and drought can defoliate the vine, leaving it no ability to ripen the fruit naturally.  The vine will then pull from its own sugar reserves in a last ditch effort to ripen the fruit.  Harvesting at this point is the only way to preserve the health of the vine for later seasons. Vine health also covers fruit that may be breaking down from diseases such as botrytis or powdery attacks.  If the fruit is going you know where in a hand basket, you might want to get it off sooner rather than later.

Assuming your vines are healthy and have no urgent issues the next piece of information you need is the fruit analytics.  Sugar accumulation (or Brix level in the US) and Acids including pH and TA can give you an idea as to where your wine will be headed as far as alcohol and balance.  If your acid is dropping rapidly but your sugar is not rising to match the wine runs the risk of being unbalanced. Likewise, if the sugar is going through the roof quickly then you may want to pick before the alcohol gets out of control.  There are also ways to measure anthocyanin (color) accumulation and tannin development but they usually need some sophisticated equipment to measure accurately. Analytics never tell the entire story but do offer supporting evidence for when to pick.

The most critical piece of information comes from one of the winemaker’s most important analytical tools; their mouth.  The analysis will get you a long way but there is no substitute for getting into the vineyard and tasting the fruit.  If the flavors are where you want them to be and for reds the tannins are ripe then pick!  Everything else can be adjusted but you can’t add flavor, weight and body where there is none. 

BUT….

   Say the vines are healthy, the analytics and flavors are almost there. You want to pick next Monday, not this week.  However, mother nature has decided to throw you a curve ball and it’s going to rain next Monday (it’s not really going to rain next Monday, I’m just throwing out a hypothetical situation here so don’t get all upset you NorCal folks!) or maybe have a massive heat spike on Friday (a la 2010 in Nor Cal).  What do you do?  Do you pick before or after the weather?  It’s a decision we’ve all had to make at some point.  You weigh the pros and cons and make a decision.  Remember, this is wine, not brain surgery.  The minute we winemakers start taking ourselves that seriously, we will need to step back and relax a bit.

Lastly, a winemaker has to consider the logistics of the whole picking operation.  How are you going to pick it?  Machine? Do you have one in the area that can accommodate you?  Hand?  Is there a crew you can call in?  What are you going to put the fruit in? How are you going to haul it to the winery?  Are there trucks available if the winery is far away? Is the winery even prepared for your fruit?  Do they have room?  I think there is this conception that all the winemaker does is says “Pick it!” and magically harvesters who were waiting for only that block descend upon it and in a few hours it is sitting at the winery being lovingly cared for by attentive staff.  Well the last part is true.  All the grapes should be and are lovingly cared for but it is a very fortunate winemaker that has the entirety of that scenario as their reality. 

There you have it.  Your decisions have been made, the logistics figured out, and the fruit is on its way.  Now the real work begins….

FAIL: The Word Everyone Hates to See on MW Exam Results

As you probably assumed from the title of this post, I have once again failed the MW exam.  This was my second attempt and the IMW follows the rules of baseball in the three strikes, you’re out philosophy.  I have one more try before I’m benched. I decided to blog about this failure while it was still fresh this year rather than waiting for January to work up the courage to disclose it as I did last year.  I’ve read all the posts from successful canidates and congrats to them, they deserve it!  However, I decided that the one voice that was missing was the voice from the multiple people who received FAIL on their letters yesterday(Yes it does come capitalized and in bold so you can visualize the examiners yelling at you through the magic of technology).  This is me, stripping myself bare, as a last effort to try and understand what I’m doing wrong.

As far as the exam itself goes there are 4 theory papers and three practical (or tasting) papers.  The breakdown of my grades is below…

Theory                                                               Grades

Paper 1- The Production of Wine – Part 1             C-

Paper 2- The Production of Wine – Part 2             B (passing)

Paper 3- The Business of Wine                           C-

Paper 4- Contemporary Issues                            C+

Practical                                                             Grades

Paper 1 – White Wines                                          C-

Paper 2 – Red Wines                                              D

Paper 3 – Mixed Bag                                              D

I hope you, my readers, can appreciate how difficult this is for me to acknowledge let alone to post for the entire world to see.  After putting 5 years of my life towards this goal I have hit a roadblock that I, thus far, am unable to fight.   Of all the grades above the one that grates the most is the C- on Theory paper 1.  I am a winemaker however my life in the industry started and my true love continues to be the vines and the wine that I and others make from them.  My degree from Cornell is in viticulture. Winemaking has primarily been learned on the job.  Theory Paper 1 is viticulture and winemaking through the end of Malolactic fermentation. I know it is not the examiners goal to imply that I don’t know enough about how a vineyard manager thinks or fermentation runs to pass this paper but this one still stings the most of all the papers.  I answered the following questions…

Q1 : What are the vineyard factors that influence the choice of rootstocks?

Q5: What are the options available for the control of acidity in musts and wines from selection the date of harvest to the end of the Malolactic conversion?

Q6: Explain recent changes in the uses ofSulphur(note this is the English spelling) and Sulphur Dioxide in the vineyard and cellar prior to the completion of the malolactic conversion.

Rootstocks were an entire section during Viti 1 at Cornell during which my esteemed professor Peter Cousins (a rootstock breeder with the USDA) did his best to get us all excited about rootstocks.  At the time, I thought it was something that I could always look up when I needed them but those notes were absolutely dusted off and re-visited prior to both attempts at the exam.  I also became very interested in other rootstocks beyond my personal favorite of 3309 which as I learned through visits to France is also popular with other winemakers in Europe as well.  You can imagine my dismay when that particular question only merited a D during the exam.  The acid question also threw me with a C- but I won’t go in to the numerous ways and processes that can be used to adjust acid that I only use 4-5 times a day.

So my assumption after my first attempt at the exam was that I was not being downgraded by my lack of knowledge on the subjects but the style of writing with which I have been delivering said knowledge. This past year I refined my writing style, again wrote an endless number of essays from questions cut from the 1999-2009 exams (which perhaps one day I’ll use as blog posts as I can’t think of anything else they would be useful for), and even went so far as to dissect body paragraphs of each of my passing essay assignments with highlighters ( Pink for intro sentence, orange for supporting sentences, green for global examples, blue for closing sentence and so on) hoping to find some sort of structure pattern that I could rely on for a passing grade.  As the grades above show, not only did I not pass but I actually did worse than I did the first time around.  C+ to a C- is not a long way to fall but it’s enough to seriously consider if I’m going about this in the proper way.

So readers I’m stumped.  This is me throwing up my hands and asking “What do you want from me???”  I have 9 months before my last attempt next June (but who’s counting).  I’m asking for any possible suggestions for a direction for the next 9 months that may help.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have a suggestion for study or writing techniques otherwise I have nothing to change and we all know what the definition of insanity is…

Harvest 2011 – Week 5 – Things REALLY get moving…

This week we’ve started seeing far more grapes than the previous week.  Our Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc were joined by our first Chardonnay of the season!  Fruit quality looks really nice and acids are still staying put thanks to the more moderate day time temperatures as well as the cool nights.  The Alexander Valley reds are showing signs of the same incredible color that 2010 brought us and we should start seeing Lodi Cabernet and Merlot being harvested over the next two weeks.  For Asti it seems after a crazy end to last week, Week 6 will come in like a lion and go out like a lamb as we enter the first slump of the season.  This will give us a chance to catch our breath and take stock of how things are going.  The weather for week 6, however is forecasted to be a good deal warmer than week 5 with several days topping out around 100 degrees!  Hopefully they won’t go much above that so we can avoid the September heat spike that we saw last year. 

I’m playing with the first Alexander Valley fruit from this season which is a Gewurztraminer from a vineyard in Geyserville which was harvested last Wednesday.  It’s packed with flavor and did retain some acid which is fantastic for the variety that is famous for losing acid like a woman loses last season’s out of style shoes.  I’ve set it up for a long, cool fermentation so the yeast can form the beautiful terpene compounds that make up the fruit and spice notes in the final wine.  I’m also playing with some Pinot Gris from Lodi with a couple of different yeast strains so that should be interesting to see how it goes.

As promised here is the red variety group from Week 4’s interesting varietal tasting!

Latitude 50 N Sekt Trocken Rose  Germany  $14.99

Light and Bubbly

With amazing aromas of strawberries and cotton candy this wine offered fantastic quality for the price.  A medium- dry style balanced with crisp acid and intense citrus flavors.  It’s a blend of Portugeser, Dornfelder, and Pinot Noir.  A perfect bubbly for everyday drinking at a great price, all of us decided to go in on a case!

Studert- Prum Wehlener Nonnenberg 2008 Dornfelder  Germany ~$25.00

Elegant and Floral

I have a soft spot for this variety because it’s one of the first reds I ever worked with in Pennsylvania, of all places.  However this also showed to be the hardest variety to find in the tasting. It’s known for intense aromas of Strawberries and cherries and this wine did not disappoint.  It was dry with moderate acid, medium alcohol and smooth tannins.  It’s worth the search as this was one of the best Dornfelders that I’ve ever had!

E. Pira Chiara Boschis Dolcetto d’Alba 2009 Italy    $19.99    

Elegant and Floral

This variety makes a light and easy to drink red which is perfect for lighter fare.  Moderate aromas of cherries, bramble fruits, red plum, and figs introduce the wine which has a dry palate with medium + acid and moderate alcohol.  The tannins are firm and structured but ripe.  This is a great food wine. 

Umathum 2008 Zweigelt Burgenland Austria    $16.99

Spicy and Smoky

This was a dark brooding wine with smoky gamey notes complemented by black cherry and plum.  The palate is dry with medium + acid, moderate alcohol and strong structured tannins.  Zweigelt may be a good alternative to Merlot or Syrah for those seeking something different.  This one was really nice.

Montebuena Rioja 2009   $9.99

Power Punch

Made with 100% Tempranillo this wine is true to form with aromas of cherries, raisins, lemon zest and vanilla.  The palate is dry with medium acid, moderately high alcohol, and strong, textured tannins.  Right now Spain is offering some great value for the money.  Anywhere else this would easily be an $18-20 quality wine.

Quinta das Maias Tinto 2004 Dao   $11.99

Power Punch

Another value to be had currently is dry reds made from Port varieties.  This wine is a blend of 60% Jaen, 25% Touriga Nacional, 10% Alfrocheiro and 5% Tinta Roriz.  The nose is intense with aromas of coconut, almonds, vanilla, and cherries.  American oak is clearly a favorite with this producer.  The palate is dry with moderate acid, medium + alcohol, and a full body filled with flavors of cherries, dried dates and raisins.

Harvest 2011 – Week 4 – Grapes, Pigs, and Fun Varieties at Asti Winery

Week 4 has come to a rather quiet close as we only processed a few hundred tons this week atAsti.  It’s a drop in the bucket for what is to come this season.  We were led by Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris from the Lodi area which both had perfect Brix, crisp acids, and really nice flavors for that region.  The weather has again proved to be wonderful for quality wine growing and is forecasted to continue for the next week as well. 

At Asti, we have a tradition of roasting a whole pig for the cellar crew (and whoever else happens to be at the winery at the time) on the Friday before things really get cranking around here.  Today was that day!  We enjoyed a moment of togetherness before the work really starts and grapes begin to roll in like an avalanche.  This year we celebrated the 11^th Pig Roast and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all! 

This week I also wanted to write a bit about the fantastic tasting that we held last week.  The theme was “Unusual Varieties from Around the World”.  I set up this tasting to open our winemaking minds to different varieties than we normally would see on the everyday supermarket shelf.  They cover a wide range of personalities as well as offering great values for the money (I’ve listed what I paid for them below) and I highly recommend you check them out!  Here is the list below….

Adega cooperative Regional de Moncao “Trajarinho” Vinho Verde 2010 Portugal    $8.99

Zesty and Fruity

A bright blend of Trajadura and Alvarinho, this wine was crisp with a bit of residual CO2 spritzing up the glass.  A moderately intense nose of citrus and lime zest introduced a dry, high acid palate with a light body.  Refreshing and clean this is a perfect summer wine!

Cantine di Marzo Fiano d’Avellino 2009 Italy     $14.99

Stone and Chalk

Fiano is such a savory variety.  It lacks the zesty fruit notes that most new world consumers expect making it a bit of a hunt here in the states but if you want something different it’s worth it.  It leads with aromas of hazelnut skins, wet granite and chalk.  It has a waxy nature to the texture that lends to a fuller body balanced by moderate acid and a long dry finish.  Pair with more savory fatty foods such as cheese, nuts, and cream sauces.

Icardi L’aurora 2009 Piedmonte Italy    $14.99

Zesty and Fruity

Cortese is one of my favorite Italian whites and I generally prefer it over its more popular neighbor Pinot Grigio.  Primarily found in the small Piedmonte region of Gavi this particular offering was sourced from the wider regional designation.  Light aromas of citrus and white flowers delicately emerge and are followed by an off-dry palate with moderate acid and a medium-light body.  It is very well balanced and easy to drink.

Hetszolo Tokaji Furmint Sec      $9.99

Stone and Chalk

This is another of those wines that is a bit challenging to find at your everyday wine store.  While Tokaji typically is most well known for its sweet Botrytized dessert style, these dry styles can offer great value and interesting appeal.  It leans more towards hazelnuts, citrus, golden raisins, and mineral flavors with a dry palate and medium + acid.  It finishes with an almost citrus rind texture which keeps the wine interesting and a fun pairing with different foods.

Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas 2008 Spain     $17.99

Fresh and Grassy

I like to think of Albarino (the Spanish version of Alvarinho which made an appearance in our first wine of the flight) as a flowery Sauvignon Blanc with the volume turned down.  The clean primary aromas of jasmine, grapefruit, and peach skin carry through on to the palate which is dry with medium acid and body.  It’s a riper style of Albarino however it is very tasty and I love the floral element to it.

Dominio del Plata “Crios de Susana Balbo” 2010 Torrontes Salta Argentina    $11.99

Elegant and Floral

Torrontes is one of my favorite floral varieties and one that you can impress your friends with at parties as it’s not well known but is a Muscat cousin so it has an amazing spicy and fruity nose that is hard to mistake.  Intense aromas of flowers, citrus, and an interesting lime Jello note give way to a dry palate with high acid and light body. If you likeMuscataromas but want something dry, try this one out!

That’s all for the whites… I’ll write about the Red varieties tasted in my Week 5 wrap up!

Harvest 2011 – Week 3 – The Pinot Commeth

We’ve begun harvesting Pinot Gris from the Central Coast vineyard, CatCanyon (also the source of the Emma Pearl Chardonnay).  Pinot Noir doesn’t seem to be too far behind in Brix so I’m sure we’ll start to see that soon as well.  Here atAstiwe have our first grapes scheduled for mid-next week however it’s mainly Sauvignon Blanc that is going to be opening our season up mixed with a bit of Pinot Gris.  The word from the Central Coast is that tonnages are down even from already reduced estimate numbers but given that we’re only 2 days in to it down there that may not be indicative of the entire harvest.  It should be an interesting season to say the least but we already knew that, right?

The weather has still been fabulous for both grapes and people with cool foggy mornings and moderately warm, sunny afternoons.  So far the forecast calls for more of the same with a slight cooling this weekend and then warming again next week.  I love it. The grapes love it.  Everyone is happy!

Personally, I love a bandage type harvest (If you get it done quickly it hurts less!).  You’re crazy busy for a little bit but you get a lot of work done and the season just flies by.  Before you know it, it will be Halloween and you’ll be breathing a sigh of relief.  Slow harvests seem to drag on forever.  It’s much better to be super busy than waiting for the next vineyard to ripen up. 

On the MW front, I’m now a little less than 3 weeks away from getting my results from this year’s exam.  I’m nervous and excited all at the same time which is a mildly uncomfortable feeling in itself.  Excited because I feel like I did well and nervous because I felt that way last year too and it didn’t turn out all that well for me.  Only time will tell for sure.

I’m excited about Fall as it seems to be showing up more and more now.  Our Bartlett pears are ripening as is my table grape vine (when I can get to the fruit before the raccoons do).  There are little signs in the trees that the chlorophyll is breaking down and little tinges of red and yellow are beginning to show through.  September is right around the corner and it’s time to begin thinking of fall decorations, spring bulb planting, and butternut squash and pumpkin bisque.

Harvest 2011- Week 2 Recap

Driving around last week in Alexander Valley I’ve really started to notice serious veraison.  A sister winery of ours down on the Central coast has Pinot Gris scheduled to be picked tomorrow.  Harvest is truly upon us.  The weather this week has been beautiful.  Cool, foggy mornings have given way to bright, sunny mid-days and afternoons around 90 degrees.  Light breezes pick up in the late afternoon signaling the shift in the maritime pull which will bring back the fog for the next morning.  I, like the grapevines, am thriving in this weather.  I like to spend a lot of time outside during this time of year as I know it will soon be too busy to enjoy it.  There is a distinct pleasure in lifting your face to the sun and relaxing in its soothing warmth. 

 In the winery there is a distinct sense of anticipation.  The year will begin with Pinot Gris sometime late Week 3 or early Week 4.  It will be joined soon after by Sauvignon Blanc and perhaps a Gewurztraminer as it was one of the first on the docket last harvest as well. 

 The weather seems to be holding in the upper 80s-low 90s through the rest of the week so it should be ideal ripening for the next few days. 

 We’ve had the great news that the European Grapevine Moth has been dealt a swift blow this year and the population numbers have been greatly reduced. Hopefully we can keep up the industry and community cooperation and eradicate this pest before it becomes established in the area.  

Overall, I’m very excited about this harvest.  Quality looks good, yields are down, acids are holding, and things are progressing nicely.  I hope this trend keeps going but we’ll see what Week 3 has to offer for us!

Harvest 2011 – Week 1 – Going through Veraison

Now I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself…Grapes can not be being harvested already.  So what’s this week 1 thing all about you ask???  I count the first week in August every year as week 1 of a 16 week harvest season.  Week 16 falls in the middle of November by which time normally all the grapes are in and most of the active primary fermentations are complete.  These weeks are critical in the development process because the weather and decisions made in this time frame between veraison and the end of primary fermentation have the most impact on the final wine quality. 

Back to Week 1!  Right now many of the early varieties are going through veraison.  This is the change in color and softening of the berry skins which signals about 4 weeks to the harvest date.  For white wine grapes veraison reveals a thinning of the skin and a yellow (sometimes gold) color taking place of the bright green that they’ve been all season.  For reds this thinning and softening is accompanied by the previously green bunches changing to their own particular hue of red or black depending on the variety.  While on the Central Coast last week, I saw Pinot Gris that was already fully through veraison and Pinot Noir that was well on its way.  Here in the North Coast, Sauvignon Blanc is softening and the first signs of red are beginning to show in the Pinot Noir. 

To me, the weather looks fantastic! So far it’s been a long, cool growing season with forecasted temperatures in the low 90s for the next two weeks.  Grapes ripen most efficiently around 94° F (depending on variety of course).  This is the temperature where all the photosynthetic processes in the vine work to their optimum speed converting sunlight to sugar and flavor precursors.  However the nights are remaining cool which slows the acid degradation process to retain crisp acids to balance the sugar accumulation.  While we did have the nasty weather during bloom which has impacted crop yield, the weather so far this year looks positive for quality.  With the reduced crop yield and the fully optimized vines it may be that we’ll see an almost on time harvest this season but that is highly dependant on the weather in the next few weeks. 

I’m always amused when I hear fellow winemakers talk about wanting to get back to a normal harvest.  This will be my 9^th harvest this year and I’ve never heard anyone refer to any year as a normal year during the harvest season.  After it’s over you hear people in the industry refer to “classic” years or normal seasons however it seems to me that a lack of seasonal normality is normal.  That’s what makes this job fun! It’s never the same even when it looks like it might be. 

I’m looking forward to week 2-16.  I’m going to do my best to post weekly updates to keep you updated as to how they are going for us here at Asti Winery.