HARVEST TIME ….FROM VINE TO BOTTLE!!

LUSH VINES READY FOR HARVEST

Happy weekend and its good to be back….I was away on a much needed vacation and had a great time with close friends and family! And of course I always ship my case of wine with me, kind of like a security blanket for Winos…Lol.. But what I really want to talk about today is Harvest Time, that hectic and crazy season when the grapes are picked at their peak and begin their journey from vine to bottle!! Being an especially warm and dry year, harvest got under way as early as July this year for sparkling wines…Veraison(the changing color of grapes) marks the beginning of Harvest Season and then over a period of 6-8 weeks the grapes are either picked by hand or by mechanical harvesting…Many winemakers prefer to have their grapes handpicked because there is more control over the quality! Hooray for Humans…they can see if the grapes are spoiled or moldy as well as lend a gentler handling by not bruising or tearing the skin...

GRAPES ARE READY TO HARVEST WHEN THEY START CHANGING COLOR..VERAISON!!

Now we go to the winemaking process which is called Maceration where the phenolic materials of the grapes-tannins, coloring agents and flavor compounds are leached from the grape skins, seeds and stems into a must or mixture! To Macerate is to soften the grapes by soaking and this is the process that gives red wine it's color, because 99% of all grape juice is a clear grayish tone! Look you learn something new everyday, you'll actually think about that red wine before you drink it now...when producing white wines, Maceration is typically avoided or allowed in a limited manner leading to a small amount of skin contact with the juice prior to pressing...there is a short amount of maceration with Rose`between the skin and must to create the blush wine!

NOTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN WINE BARRELS LINED UP AND FILLED WITH WINE!

The Maceration process begins when the skins are broken and exposed to some heat, temperature is the guiding force here and higher temps encourage more breakdown extraction of phenols from skins and other grape materials...this process continues during the fermentation period, and can last past the point when the yeast has converted all sugars into alcohol! Now we are getting to the good stuff....
Throughout the fermentation process, carbon monoxide is released as a by product of the conversion of sugar into alcohol...the carbon dioxide seeks to escape from the must/juice by rising to the top of the mixture, pushing the the grape skins and other materials to the top as well, creating what is known as a Cap...At this point a very limited amount comes into contact with the skins and winemakers seek to correct this by pushing down the cap either with equipment or the traditional method a la I LOVE LUCY with the stomp(feet)!! I've always wanted to do that, maybe next season..with everything that is going on these winemakers are always trying to get that perfect bottle of wine!  This process of maceration can help bring out the flavors and nuances, it can enhance the body and complexity of the tannins as well strengthening the color....Once the wine is ready to transfer into stainless steel vats or oak barrels where it goes to rest until it's deemed worthy to bottle! White wine can typically be ready in 3-6 months where reds usually go from 18-24 months until they are bottled and set sail for the wine market...Fabulous can't wait for these new releases!!

NATURE AT IT'S BEST!

WINE WAITING PATIENTLY FOR IT'S RELEASE

What really makes the wine world go around is the talented and hard working people behind every bottle you open and every sip you take....I've been lucky to have met some of the top wine makers in California and I can tell you how passionate and dedicated they are about their industry...this is not a business for the faint of heart, it's farming basically with all the pitfalls..whether it be climate, soil or drought, they deal with it and are constantly gambling with their crop every year! I salute you all...

100 BOTTLES OF WINE ON THE WALL...MUST BE HEAVEN!!

WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL AUTUMN FILLED WITH GREAT WINE!!

                                                                 
CHEERS......
                                                   
                                    THE WINE CONTESSA

                    THE BEAUTY OF THE VINES IT CALLS TO ME

                                        WHAT A PUMPKIN AND NO WINE?