We’ve had a long strange summer here.  Not just long because my kids have finally gone back to school,  but long due to the incredible heat days that we have had in the vineyard.  What started out as a slow wet spring has evolved into a grand summer and fall-so far.   We are now about 6 days early for the harvest.  We are picking & crushing Pinot Noir all this week, since we’ve picked the Gewurztraminer first as we do in most years.  We’ve hit over 23 brix in the sugar content on the Pinot – which is really outstanding and hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate.

We are excited for the crush as we have upgraded our equipment and redesigned the crush area. Our new destemmer is made especially for Pinot Noir and it gently releases the grapes without crushing them.  So we have a more gentle touch and extraction.  Come on out & watch the ‘action’ on the new ‘crush pad patio’ with a glass of wine & picnic.  (please don’t feed the animals- or winemakers).  Since we estate grow nearly 90% of our own fruit we can be crushing literally minutes after the grapes are harvested.  It makes for a long day- but the payout is great as our affordable wines have continued to win praise and awards from the wine community.

The harvest season lasts through October and we will be sampling some of the fresh white wines – called Neu Wein in German (ones that are still going through fermentation) in 4-5 weeks.  It’s like a Hefeweizen beer but better- it’s made with 100% fruit- not water & hops.  Give us a call & we’ll keep you up to date.