First Grapes Inoculated

The first batch of grapes we took in this past Friday got inoculated with yeast and have started the fermentation process. Before adding the yeast the grapes were taken off of their cold chill and the temp was brought up so the fermentation temp will be about 55 to 60 degrees. In about 10 to 12 days the primary fermentation will be complete.

In the mean time we are still waiting on warmer, sunny weather for the grapes to finish ripening. It sounds like 10 tons of grapes are scheduled for Monday of next week - way behind schedule. From all indications though once they start coming in it will be a FAST harvest with an inundation of grapes!

No Ripe Grapes

Unfortunately California has had a very cold summer so the grapes are not ripening like they should. As a result we will not be getting in any more grapes for a few days - hopefully at least by the end of the week. Til then it is more cleaning - FUN! On the upside we did do punch downs on the tank of grapes we had from Friday. See the right pic - that is Luis punching down the cap to keep it covered in juices. This allows more extraction of color, tannins and flavors. We punch down twice a day. The grapes are finishing up their cold soak and this tank should be ready for an inoculation of yeast to start the fermentation process tomorrow.

The Grapes Arrive

Finally we hit the first day of harvest. A light day by their standards as first macro bins of what would end up being 5 tons of fruit arrived at 8am. The bins are immediately weighed and then it is onto the sorting table area where they are dumped and slowly work their way to the sorting table where stems, bad looking grapes, leaves and more are removed. The grapes leave the table and go up an incline conveyor to the destemmer where the stems are removed and they drop into an awaiting 1,500 gallon fermentation tank. The tank is chilled to 28 degrees to keep the fruit fresh and from beginning fermenting on their own. The tank was brought into the tank room and will stay chilled for 4 days while the grapes undergo a cold soak to extract more color and flavor. On the 4th day the tank will be inoculated with yeast and fermentation will start.

After a few conveyor belt issues we got the fruit sorted and in the tank by 2pm then the 2 hour cleanup of the area began. Phew, what a day. Unfortunately with the cool summer California has had the grapes are slow in ripening. As a result it will probably be mid next week before the next load comes in. So that means another weekend to relax and catch some sights and catch the Husker Game! Go Big Red!

Harvest Begins Tomorrow!

Well today was the calm before the storm. Tomorrow the first grapes arrive. 5 tons of Pinot. This is a light load as normally we will be getting in 15 to 20 tons a day. This is a trial to get us going.

Today we finished up some last minute cleaning and got the crush pad set up (see picture). We (the 5 person Pinot crew) got a tour of the mega Chardonnay facility. Sonoma Cutrer's main bread and butter. This is an amazing facility. They do 200,000 cases of wine a year (the pic above is just some of them) with all the wine fermented and aged in one of 15,000 barrels! It is quite the operation. The Pinot facility sits on the other end of the property and pales in comparison, but is more laid back and fun, just my style!

Can't wait for the grapes to arrive in the morning. An exciting day awaits.

Getting Closer

We got confirmation, the first 5 tons of grapes will arrive on Friday. Then the pace will really quicken. Today I hooked up the glycol chilling system to the tanks you see in the pic from yesterday. We fired it up and had to work out a few bugs, but before long the tanks were really chillin (down to 28 degrees) and ice was forming on the sides. So they are ready for the Friday grapes. The remainder of the day involved getting the crush pad ready. The grape sorting table and conveyor belt to the crusher/destemmer had to be cleaned and sanitized. I also got a start on cleaning the concrete pad.

The best part of my day was a nice hour long bike ride thru the rolling hills and vineyards of the area. The beautiful scenery makes it so much easier going up the hills!

More Cleaning!

We continue to ready for the arrival of grapes. I climbed into and cleaned more tanks and this afternoon moved some of the newly cleaned tanks into position in the "holding room". You can see the tanks aligned in the picture. I moved the tanks with the electric hand fork lift, we affectionately call "The General." When we get grapes in (we will only be making Pinot Noir - a red wine) we will initially sort and "destem" them (not pressed yet) and put into these tanks. The tanks have the capability to keep the grapes cool and they will sit in these tanks for 4 days undergoing what is known as a cold soak. They will then be inoculated with yeast and the fermentation will begin.

It looks like we will be getting the first 5 to 10 tons of grapes in on Thursday or Friday. Then the fun and long days will really begin!

Cleaning Tanks

The final drive to get prepared for the arrival of grapes began. Today we began cleaning clamps, valves, and tanks. All parts need to be cleaned thouroughly and rinsed so they are sanitized before the grapes come. Nothing like donning a wet suit and scrubbing with a brush all day, ahh the charm of a winery. Unfortunately a few more days of this before the grapes arrive.