Yay it's Saturday

Hello all,

The weekend is here and I actually have Saturday and Sunday off! I think as the grapes start coming in more frequently that won't be the case. Thursday and Friday at the winery consisted of cleaning the 10 stainless steel fermentation tanks they use during crush as well as the grape press. As you see in the first picture, this is where the grapes go as soon as they get to the winery. Everything is crushed as soon as it arrives; the grapes will continue to ripen and the sugar level will change even after they are picked. Most grapes are picked either before 10am or after 6pm. That is when you will get an accurate reading of the brix(sugar levels) and ph(acidity) of the grape. That is generally what most winemakers rely on to determine when to pick their crop. As a side project, I also participated in the annual "painting of the barrels". A new batch of French Oak Barrels arrived on Thursday and RFW paints the barrels with old wine they have sent off and made into a special paint! Have a great weekend and look for more posts as the grapes start arriving!