The grapes, that is...
I think--insofar as I have any control over it--that tomorrow is the first day of harvest for us. Sure, we have had a couple juice deliveries in the past week, but it really doesn't get going for us until we deal with fresh fruit, especially our own fruit.
We were doing so well. Everything was clean, only a bit of mildew, no rot, nice canopy, no bird damage. And then came Irene. We sustained about 5" of rain with lots of wind. Sure, we had some rows pushed over and some berries swell. But the shit didn't hit the fan until I was walking through the Pinots (Noir and Meunier) and started to smell botrytis. Crap.
Our Pinot is mostly old Champagne clones, very tight clusters. All that rain and swelling caused some to burst--to the best of my knowledge--and in walked the rot. It'll take a bit more effort to cull out the bad fruit as we pick it. But even more at issue here is what to do with the fruit once we get it into the winery. It was destined to be our Nouveau for this fall, but that's not going to work now. At this ripeness level it's really meant for sparkling production, but fat chance I want to go through that, no matter how much I love bubbly from Pinot.
So, not sure what we're going to do tomorrow, except i do know we're going to be picking some grapes. Wish me luck as I try to figure out what the heck I do with them......
I think--insofar as I have any control over it--that tomorrow is the first day of harvest for us. Sure, we have had a couple juice deliveries in the past week, but it really doesn't get going for us until we deal with fresh fruit, especially our own fruit.
We were doing so well. Everything was clean, only a bit of mildew, no rot, nice canopy, no bird damage. And then came Irene. We sustained about 5" of rain with lots of wind. Sure, we had some rows pushed over and some berries swell. But the shit didn't hit the fan until I was walking through the Pinots (Noir and Meunier) and started to smell botrytis. Crap.
Our Pinot is mostly old Champagne clones, very tight clusters. All that rain and swelling caused some to burst--to the best of my knowledge--and in walked the rot. It'll take a bit more effort to cull out the bad fruit as we pick it. But even more at issue here is what to do with the fruit once we get it into the winery. It was destined to be our Nouveau for this fall, but that's not going to work now. At this ripeness level it's really meant for sparkling production, but fat chance I want to go through that, no matter how much I love bubbly from Pinot.
So, not sure what we're going to do tomorrow, except i do know we're going to be picking some grapes. Wish me luck as I try to figure out what the heck I do with them......
Carl,
ReplyDeleteI know of many wine blogs and podcasts, but when I have a rare moment for some wine education pleasure, aside from PA Wine Society events, I come to your blog--and it always delights. Not that I take delight in your bad news (in this case), but in your honest sharing and great writing. When I come here, I need just what you are serving up, just like when I open a bottle of Allegro wine, as I often do.
Many thanks,
Lee