Early Harvest

My brother-in-law, Tom, and his wife, Carolyn, were in town this weekend for my father-in-law's "70-Sumtin" birthday. On Saturday, we took them to a few old haunts, first we took them out to Wooldridge Creek Winery so we could pick up our autumn release and say hello to old friends Kara & Greg, the winemakers, and Terry in the tasting room.  Then we were off to Red Lily Vineyards to introduce Tom & Carolyn to our of our favorite places.

This time of year is early harvest, the whites and early reds, such as Pinot Noir, are starting to work their way onto the crush pad. Harvest time at a winery means many long days and hard work as the wineries rush to battle nature's capriciousness. In addition to judging the perfect brix (or sugar levels) in which to pick the grapes, birds, bears, deer, rain and other sundry natural forces conspire against the harvest crews in getting the grapes in at just the right time.

When we arrived at Red Lily, owner and winemaker, Rachel Martin was still on the crush pad finishing up for the day. We wandered over to check her progress and get an update. Rachel explained that their newest addition,  a white grape, Verdejo, was doing great and the first of their famous Tempranillo was coming in.

As I said, harvest is hard work, long days and lots of beer (no wine can be made without copious amounts of beer). This year, Rachel battled a new scourge, bees. She said the bees were wildly abundant this year, having worked themselves into the grapes. She alone had gotten stung eight times (so far). She told us the grape press reverberated with the sound of bees as the grapes went through it.  Apparently bees are attracted to the sugary grape pulp, they do not, however, pollinate grapes.  Grapes are pollinate via air -borne pollen.

Harvest will be going on for sometime in the valley as the grapes do their slow, steady march toward ripening and their eventual plucking from the vine to be made into delicious Southern Oregon Wines.

To all of the winemakers, staff and harvest crews, I wish you a great harvest and look forward to the "fruits of your labor"!

WHERE ARE WE?

Can you tell which winery we are at?
Please comment below...

Autumn is neigh...

By all these lovely tokens September days are here, 

With summer's best of weather And autumn's best of cheer.
-Helen Hunt Jackson

Yes, Autumn is in the air. The days grow shorter and cooler, the nights crisper and the grapes... well, the grapes are well into Veraison, changing color, ripening, developing the complex sugars that will give them their wondrous flavor. The grapes sunning on the vine, enjoying the temperate nature of late summer/early fall, growing fat and fragrant.

This is a wonderful time to go wine tasting in the valley. The temperatures are comfortable, there is a buzz in the air at the wineries as harvest approaches and the colors are starting to change, the trees dressing in their autumnal plumage.

Get out, drive to one of the numerous wineries our area has to offer. It does not matter if it is a grand chateau or a little shack - explore, find the hidden treasures and experience firsthand the romance of wine. 

The Romance of Wine, it is not in the vineyard, that is farming. It is not in the winery, that is chemistry and hard work. It is not even in the tasting room, that is a commercial endeavor. It is in the glass, it is in the relationships between friends, and even strangers, in the enjoyment of the wine. 

 The wines that one best remembers are not necessarily the finest that one has ever tasted, and the highest quality may fail to delight so much as some far more humble beverage drunk in more favorable surroundings.
-H. Warner Allen

 So, my suggestion to you dear reader is to venture forth, take a Sunday drive any old day of the week, enjoy the wonderful weather and dare to experience an unknown wine. While you are there, take a look at the vineyards and imagine, if you will, the vintage that these grapes will become and the enjoyment of revisiting them in the bottle at some future date.

CHEERS

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.

 -Ernest Hemingway