Harvest 2016 - Where, When, and Why
As the Ducks win their second game of the season we here at LaVelle Vineyards begin to prepare for the usual. I used to tell customers that harvest usually begins in the last week of September or the first week of October. After the fourth year in a row of starting harvest in the first two weeks of September that's no longer the case. Anyway, it looks like for 2016 harvest will begin this week, the second week in September.
yet another early harvest. One thing at this moment stands out that I've learned from doing this over the last ten years and that is the longer I make wine the less things I consider to be
I'm writing this blog today as a preamble to our harvest. For those of you that are harvest watchers it's my goal to get you as much of the meat and potatoes that vintage 2016 has to offer. Technology is making that easier every year. This year I'll be posting photos, stories, and videos this year of the action out at the production facility and vineyard here in Elmira. You can come experience this first hand or watch from Facebook and Instagram this year. So, if you're really into wine this year you can follow us from your couch at home, from your desk at work, or out here in the vineyard and winery when you have time. It's my favorite time of the year, and it is very special for the business as well. This year will mark our 22nd vintage in which time we have gone through many changes, but high quality wine has remained a strong focus.
This week's forecast shows highs in the high 70's and lows in the mid 40's all week. This, to me, is perfect. We'll start on Wednesday, September 14th at Bennett Vineyards over in Cheshire with a Pommard clone of Pinot Noir that is, in my opinion, some of the best in the South Willamette Valley. Gene and Lisa Bennett and their team will start picking at sunrise and likely pick until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It's grueling work. For the people that have been in the vineyard all year though it means
harvest. It means the end of another successful year. They must finish strong, and they do. After all, it also means money. The more you hustle more you can take home for one of the last days of the year's work. All of this happens on Wednesday morning, and then a short truck ride later our work in the cellar begins.
At this moment that's our only scheduled pick, but things will change after tomorrow afternoon. I will spend my sunrise tomorrow in a vineyard as well taking cluster samples of Muscat, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gamay, and Riesling. My lab team headed up by our Cellar Master Sarah Tunnell includes Mike and Kari, our newest interns. They will crush the samples by hand and test the sugar and acid levels for the third time in the last three weeks to determine once and for all when we should pick these varietals.
It seems like in recent years the list of wines we're producing grows with our passion for making wine. The 2016 vintage will yield some of if not all of the following wines:
I'm writing this blog today as a preamble to our harvest. For those of you that are harvest watchers it's my goal to get you as much of the meat and potatoes that vintage 2016 has to offer. Technology is making that easier every year. This year I'll be posting photos, stories, and videos this year of the action out at the production facility and vineyard here in Elmira. You can come experience this first hand or watch from Facebook and Instagram this year. So, if you're really into wine this year you can follow us from your couch at home, from your desk at work, or out here in the vineyard and winery when you have time. It's my favorite time of the year, and it is very special for the business as well. This year will mark our 22nd vintage in which time we have gone through many changes, but high quality wine has remained a strong focus.
This week's forecast shows highs in the high 70's and lows in the mid 40's all week. This, to me, is perfect. We'll start on Wednesday, September 14th at Bennett Vineyards over in Cheshire with a Pommard clone of Pinot Noir that is, in my opinion, some of the best in the South Willamette Valley. Gene and Lisa Bennett and their team will start picking at sunrise and likely pick until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It's grueling work. For the people that have been in the vineyard all year though it means
At this moment that's our only scheduled pick, but things will change after tomorrow afternoon. I will spend my sunrise tomorrow in a vineyard as well taking cluster samples of Muscat, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gamay, and Riesling. My lab team headed up by our Cellar Master Sarah Tunnell includes Mike and Kari, our newest interns. They will crush the samples by hand and test the sugar and acid levels for the third time in the last three weeks to determine once and for all when we should pick these varietals.
It seems like in recent years the list of wines we're producing grows with our passion for making wine. The 2016 vintage will yield some of if not all of the following wines:
- White Pinot Noir
- Early Muscat
- Pinot Gris
- Riesling
- Pinot Noir
- Gamay Noir
- Tempranillo
All of these wines will be made from grapes grown either on our 16 acre estate vineyard or in Oregon. I'm very excited about the prospects the 2016 vintage brings! So, this year, wether you're near or far from us you can join us in person or on Facebook and Instagram as we go through the 2016 harvest. Join us!
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