The Grape Harvest

Jake was home for the weekend two weeks ago and with the Frontenac at 24 Brix or better, we harvested the grapes.

One of the grapes billed as Frontenac is in fact a lighter colored grape. We're making rosé, so it went in with the Frontenac and a few Foch. We're calling this rosé "Row 7."

We pressed the rosé first, then the whites. We probably should have waited another 1-2 weeks on row 6, as the Traminette came in at around 17 Brix. We tried the double salt technique to manage the acid and it wound up browning the wine significantly. But the rosé and the Chardonel look good.

Harvest Time

When you walk into our kitchen the air is rich with pawpaw. The harvest seems to have started early; small fruit on the margins are dropping and you can see evidence of deer. Now working on improvements in processing the pulp.

A very windy day brought down a few of the pears and we'll try to ripen these up in the fridge.

Looking forward to a grape harvest possibly Saturday. The white, mostly Chardonel, is at 22.2 Brix, pH 2.78. The red, mostly Frontenac, is 25 Brix, TA 13.2, and pH 3.05. Some are starting to raisin on the top where exposed to sun all day. The forecast is for rain and clouds for the next several days so hopefully we won't lose too many more during the work week. Jake comes home for the weekend, so it will be a family affair.