Foxen Winery co-founder Dick Doré shows us his new destemming machine as the first fruit of 2014 begins to come in.
Destemming Grapes at Foxen Winery
fruit
Harvest Work Is More Than Just Picking
When most people think of the work that goes into harvesting wine grapes, picking is the first thing to come to mind. But there are other jobs for the vineyard crew during harvest.
Sampling Grapes in Preparation for Harvest
During an early morning walk with Ryan Carr we gather grape samples to test in preparation for harvest.
TIME LAPSE: Veraison
Veraison, pronounced “ver-AY-zhun”, is a French term that is used to describe the the onset of ripening, signaled by a change in color of the grapes. Veraison represents the transition from fruit growth to fruit ripening. Many changes in berry development happen during veraison, some very visible, as you can see in this time lapse video. Others are happening inside the grape berries, such as increased sugar levels.
Michael Larner Explains Veraison As A Survival Mechanism
Winegrower Michael Larner explains a survival mechanism that wine grapes have developed to advertise their sugar levels to birds and other animals.
UP CLOSE: Fruit Set
The pollination of little grapevine flowers almost immediately leads to a phase called “set,” where the fruit actually begins to appear on the cluster in the form of very small grape seeds, and berries to protect them. Continue reading
UP CLOSE: Bloom
Shortly after the grape cluster appears and grows a bit larger, which takes anywhere from three to eight weeks, tiny fragrant flowers appear all over it. This very important phase in viticulture is called “bloom.” Continue reading
INSIDE THE VINE : Wine Grape Cluster
The immature Pinot Noir cluster emerges from the bud. “Pinot” refers to the pine cone shaped cluster seen here.