Archive for August 2014

Here, my son James has captured me mixing the Pinot Noir rosé, an ancient ritual not unlike those depicted on the walls of the Pharaohs’ tombs. The grapes have been soaking for several hours, as we patiently extract the flavors and colors from the the day’s harvest. This is an art based on experience. Eschewing…

As with many of the important things in life, there is only one chance to get it right. This is most certainly the case with our wine grape harvest.  If I don’t plan it perfectly, I will have to wait another year to try again, to achieve our, admittedly, lofty standard. It’s really a perfect…

Harvesting table grapes is largely determined by the fruit becoming sweet and juicy, with consumption coming relatively soon thereafter. But I am not picking table.  I am harvesting for wine, and must visualize how the process of fermentation will convert the grape, from that moment of harvest, into a delicious and stable product for future…

As a boy, I was always wondering why my Dad picked the crop on a certain day. Nothing about the crop appeared any different to me from the previous day. So, why today? His response was always the same, “the crop is ready.” Even then, my scientific mind felt there had to be more to…