HARVEST WINE WEEKEND: STAGES OF HARVEST
Stages of Harvest
Each Vintage Tells Its Own Story
The 2011 Harvest is already one that will stand out in Paso Robles Wine Country’s vintage history for years to come. Heavy winter rains gave the soil a much needed flush and the vines the nutrients they need to influence some greater-than-average yields. However, following a cold winter and spring frosts, it is expected that the vines will experience a lighter crop than anticipated, as well as a later Harvest. The quality, in most varieties, however, will shine through. By the time you read this, the grapes will have gone through verasion and harvest will be slowly creeping this way. A late harvest, such as this one, presents a variety of opportunities and challenges as winemakers and grapegrowers gear up for a vintage that demands to stand out and be remembered.
Vineyard
Throughout the year, grapegrowers find themselves in a dance with Mother Nature. The heat, the cold, the rain, the wind and nature’s creatures are all vital to the triumphs and struggles of the vineyard. Every year the vines go through shoot and fruit thinning, canopy management, and more; nurturing the vines to create quality fruit and fending against nature’s threats.
Verasion
Verasion is simply the process of ripening, when green bunches take on those purple hues we all associate with red wine grapes on the vine. Winemakers and grapegrowers patiently wait for the change in the grapes to signal that it is only a matter of time before harvest is upon them.
Harvest
These few months of every year, winemakers and grapegrowers put in maximum work with minimum rest to get fruit off the vines and begin the winemaking process. Starting as early as August, and often lasting into November, the days are long and the nights are longer (especially at vineyards who harvest by night to escort the fruit in when temperatures are cool). Fruit is collected from the vines either by hand or machine harvesting, and then ushered to the winery to begin the vinification process into the premium wines of Paso Robles.
Crush
Depending on the variety and the winemaker, it may not actually be “crush.” There are a number of ways to squeeze the juice out of the harvested grapes in which “crush” has become synonymous. Grapes typically crush under their own weight, producing something called “free run juice.” From there, the solids left in the hoppers can be pressed through a number of mechanically advanced means, or even stomped (although nowadays stomping is often reserved for fun), to release the juices and begin the journey to the bottle.
Fermentation
Again, depending on the winemaker and many other factors, fermentation can be different. Once the grapes have come in and are put into their various fermentation containers, yeast consumes sugars found in the juice and converts them to alcohol. The fermentation process typically completes after about one to two weeks. During this process, red wines are left on the grape skins; these solid components float to the top of the container creating the daily winemaker task known as punchdowns. Winemakers turn the wine to continually mix the solid factors back into the juice; it is from the grape skins that red wine derives its color, tannin and other qualities that many wine enthusiasts look for in the glass.
Aging
Once the wine has completed fermentation, the juice flows into tanks or barrels to begin the aging process. Each winemaker studies the unique vintage to determine the perfect combination of barrel and/or tank aging, and the length of time to age before bottling. Like a chef utilizing a rack of spices, a winemaker may decide to add character to the wine through a cornucopia of oak barrel choices or let the wine develop its qualities in a stainless steel tank. With the variety of options out there, this is the time when each winemaker adds their own flare to every wine produced. Also during aging, winemakers combine wines to accent their favorite qualities and create the perfect blend. Finally, after the winemaker has determined the wine has properly aged, it is off to the bottling line, then the tasting room or store shelf, and hopefully on to our collective dinner tables.
