Vineyard - July 2012

With vineyard work slowing down, I feel as if we are coasting toward harvest. Except for training the Petite Verdo and Moscato Giallo every 10 days or so, we have had plenty of time to work on the new filter house. The grapes are definitely ripening and all varieties are almost completely through veraison. Each week brings added sweetness to the berries. Below is a picture of each variety.   

The Roussanne stands at 18.9 Brix and has a pH of 3.4.  Brix is a percentage by weight of the amount of sugar in the berries and is monitored in addition to the pH. These measurements, along with taste and seed characteristics, help determine when the grapes should be harvested. The Roussanne will probably be harvested soon.

The Montepulciano has definitely gained sugar  and we will begin checking the Brix and pH later in the week. It may be harvested in late August to early September.

The Aglianico is our latest ripening variety and even it is tasting sweeter rather than sour these days. As with the Montepulciano, we will begin Brix and pH testing later this week. It will probably hang until late September to mid October.