Nova Cadamatre

It Does Exist!!! Verasion Spotted in Napa!

There are a few things in life for which you must have personal experience with in order to truly believe; The Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, and this season in CA…Verasion. Verasion is the time of year that red grapes change to their red or black colors and in both red and white varieties, the skins begin to soften. Up until now, I had only heard rumors, stories, and eyewitness accounts from people far removed from the eyewitness. However, yesterday, I was able to see with my own eyes a Merlot vineyard in Calistoga turning colors.

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Meandering thoughts on the vineyards this season

More than one winemaker I know has brought up the thought that at this pace we’re going to be crushing into November. Inevitably when this thought is voiced in a group of vineyard and winery folks there is a good deal of nodding, thoughtful noises made, and glances towards the sky.

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What is ripeness?

Everyone knows that when you have 5 winemakers in a room you’ll have around 7 different opinions on any given topic. Ripeness is one of those topics that bring up more discussion than most because the decision when to pick is one of the most important, if not THE most important, decisions that a winemaker will make during the vintage. I’m sure you’ve heard several terms thrown around to describe ripeness.

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