The moment of truth we have been waiting for...

I finally get to experience what I set out to do two short months ago! After begging and pleading, I got my wish to stomp grapes on the second to last day of harvest. One more pick next week and we are finite!!! Everyone is amazed that I have kept up with this blog as I usually only have time to shower,eat and sleep outside of work hours. Alas things will settle after this last pick and I will have more time to elaborate on my story of from vine to wine. Hope everyone has had a great week and the weather is back to normal. Been clear and sunny for the past few days, just windy! Good forecast for the next week, trying to get as much bike riding in as I can before it gets too cold! Lu~

The Mad Rush

Mother Nature is at it again, stirring up another low pressure threatening rain and very cold temps at night and the time is nigh! Last week we took in over 15 tons of grapes and this week we are harvesting the rest. There are 20 tons of Estate Cabernet fruit still hanging (one ton is approx. 2200lbs) that we will receive today and then 16 tons of Cabernet from other vineyards we will get on Wednesday and Thursday. You will never believe how much work goes into making wine until you come see it for yourself! Hope everyone is well, I will try to make time to post more about the process in the next few days but they threaten to be very long days... Lu~

From Vine to Wine: Introduction

As my internship has been extended I wanted to do a five part series and really explain the process of turning grapes into wine. Throughout the blog I have mentioned various procedures that I have been involved in as I learned them. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what goes on behind the scenes, at least at Reynolds Family Winery. All wineries do things differently as I have learned from my two twin girlfriends working with me. They have worked three harvests for three different wineries, one in Argentina.

As we are getting more fruit in today, I may not be able to start until this weekend but check back often, I have more pictures to upload and lots more to say, just not much time to say it! Lu~

Along the Way

Rain rain go away!

So far, as I reported earlier, harvest had been a breeze and everyone seemed excited about this crop. Well, we had more rain yesterday to stress everyone who still has fruit hanging on the vine. Most of our Estate Cabernet is still out there and is quite plump by now if you can imagine. The watering system for these vines is called drip irrigation and that is literally how the grapes are watered. They receive such little water at one time that these two days of rain have really set us back. We may have to go ahead and pick some this week as fear of mold is now eminent. Hope all is well, I have some new pictures to post so stay tuned! Lu~

A long overdue post..

...is in order! I apologize to all who have been checking this frequently. Two weeks of 70+ hour weeks caught up with me really quick! This is what everyone was talking about who had ever worked harvest time for a winery. There were those few weeks where everything came together and it was crunch time. We now have about 75% of our grapes crushed and in either bins, tanks or barrels. It is mostly Cabernet grapes that we have left hanging on the vine as they usually take the longest to ripen. They have very thick skins, which is helpful when you have the biggest October storm since 1962 come barreling through the valley! Dumping 5+ inches of rain and with winds up to 40mph, those Cabernet grapes are the most resilient to withstand that type of water consumption without splitting. At least our estate Cabernet fared well, I can't speak for everyone.
The weather for the next week sounds promising with lots of sunshine to dry out the ground and get the grapes back to their previous brix readings before the storm. This may have pushed back our final harvesting dates but there is still plenty of optimism in the air. Overall, the vintage report for 2009 in the valley is being called the smoothest and "easiest" in decades. I will expound upon this topic after I do a little more research into the conditions of the Spring. Steve seems to think that this is going to be a phenomenal year for all of his wines and as I am learning quickly he is quite the optomistic person no matter what the situation. Must be why so many people like this guy and his wines. Of what I have tasted so far, and I have been lucky enough to try some back vintages of his cabernet and Pinot Noir, his wines are consistent from year to year. I had to work during the harvest party that is solely for wine club members and he has some loyal members (like a certain wine shop). They speak so highly of Steve and his wines, I am honored to still be working for the family.
Some of you may have heard already but if you haven't, I was offered a position to stay on with the Reynolds Family and help out with the rest of harvest. I accepted (!) and will be here through the middle of December! I am excited to be able to be a significant part of the 2009 vintage and will keep blogging for everyone to see how winemaking is evolving. I must go to work now but keep checking back frequently for updated pictures and posts, I am on the wagon again! Ciao for now