The grapes below the pasture were harvested today. I discovered this while changing in front of the big sliding glass window that overlooks the vineyard. Oops! I hope I didn’t give too much of a show!
The grapes grown in that small vineyard patch are chardonnay grapes. Last year, they had the good fortune of having a botched filtration process which let them double ferment; once in the barrel and once in the bottle. This made a lovely sparkling wine with a bit of a potent kick! I must say that I’ve never been a chardonnay fan until that bottle of wine. Luckily, I can find more where that comes from!
The field hands that do the harvesting all start at dawn. Harvesting is all done by hand, row by row, cut with a special knife and lovingly placed into 5 gallon buckets until they’re full and then transferred to big crates for transport back to the winery. I don’t know much about the harvesting process. Well, because, with all due respect, I don’t speak a lick of Spanish so I can’t really ask my neighbor, the foreman of the vineyard.
From obsevation I can tell you that harvesting happens in the early morning hours and seems to quit about the time the dew is drying off the plants. Harvesting seems to be a slow process for the big pinot vineyard next door. They’ve been harvesting over there in the early morning hours now for about a week.
Soon, it will all be done. And all too soon the winter will be upon us. For now, I’m taking advantage of our scorching hot days to get more things done outside, before the rains arrive, heralding the onset of winter.
Perhaps I’ll have a moment soon to soak up some fall color, a moment to sip my coffee outside in the crisp air and time to just be.
Funny I just noticed that we have some beautiful grapes growing wild on the bank of our driveway! Maybe i should make wine! lol
It involves a lot of work, a couple bottles and some tubing. My dad used to attempt to make homemade fruit wines when I was little. He never seemed happy with the results. However, it does sound like an interesting hobby!
How neat is that? You live next to a vineyard. I know so many people who would die to have your views! Do I see a future with white wines for you?
Stephie, come visit! We’ll walk down the hill, do a little tasting and then stumble back home! I like some whites. I love a good Riesling or a nice Gewurztraminer, but just haven’t been a big fan of chardonnays.
Oh just thought I would let you and Chelsi both know – wolves and coyotes will both active hunt out and eat grapes. They are sweet and some say they are the real reason behind behind wolves early conflict with man — as they came into town after the grapes they thought to themselves – my my, those chickens look mighty tasty…same with the sheep too.
Interesting! I’ve had a couple coyotes in the vineyard below the pasture. They weren’t there looking to eat grapes (rather, some fat ground squirrels or my cats) and it took them a while to figure out how to get out of there. I do wonder if Freya has headed over there to eat grapes?