Montepulciano and Aglianico Harvest 2018
The Montepulciano and Aglianico Harvest 2018 is almost done!!!
The Grapes
Those grapes looks so big and juicy! It amazing how quickly the vineyard can change. The vines look like this one minute...
And this the next! But thankfully, we know where the fruit went, in the harvester!
The part of the cluster that attaches to the vine is called the racus. It is good that it stayed on the vine for two reasons - 1, The grapes were ripe enough so they were able to just fall off and 2, The racus is not in the fruit because it would just cause more debris or MOG (Material Other than Grapes).
Dumping the Grapes
No matter how many times I see it, it is so neat watching the grapes pour out of the machine! The Montepulciano and Aglianico harvest 2018 are no different.
Now the grapes get dumped into the bins - another good sight! When it gets too windy, the wind blows the juice away, that is why a piece of cardboard is being held up. Cardboard makes a great wind break!
The Montepulciano and Aglianico harvests for 2018 are going great!
Weighing the Bins
We have started weighing the bins ourselves. It is nice for us to know how much they weigh and it also lets the winery know how much fruit is headed their way!
Loading the Semi
Then they are loaded onto the refrigerated semi-truck! We have a few people working in the truck to move the bins around and get them situated just right! Some of the bins are so heavy that it takes three people to push it!!!
And now, we are waiting for the harvester to come back with another load of grapes. It sure gets quiet when the harvester is not around. So for now we get to sit down, relax and drink coffee until we have to snap back to it!
Waiting for the Harvester
Most of our harvests were done while the weather was still nice and warm - everybody always enjoys warm harvests!
And that wraps up all the harvests for 2018!!! It was a great year and we are so excited to see what next year will hold.
Be sure to check out the links below for more vineyard posts!!!