Week of September 25, 2022

A return to TAProots vineyard was necessary this year, because for the first time in seven years, we have a RIESLING HARVEST. Riesling grapes usually ripen in early October, but this summer was hot and dry. Extra pruning was done in August and September to thin clusters and remove clusters with powdery mildew. Then, for the last ten days, the weather turned cool and rainy, just what is not wanted for harvest time. Our winemaker visited the plot and with rising sugar content (Brix 14.7 a week ago), it was decided the time and the grapes were ripe. There was some delay waiting for the rains to hold off, and a team of three seasonal workers were found to perform the picking. Plastic bins were washed and laid out. The team took about 2 hours to pick the 20 rows, yielding 41 boxes, with 40 fitting well in the F150 truck bed and one on the front seat. The trip to the winery was uneventful and I was greeted by the staff who took the boxes off with a forklift. One of the winemakers told me that our small batch would be fermented separately after he manually presses the Riesling grapes, with him donning rubber boots to stomp the grapes and releasing the juice! We look forward to tasting the wine from this batch of Riesling, and are delighted to be producing Vinifera grapes again.