Ah, as harvest creeps up on us, the grapes are about to go through veraison, and vineyard and wineries are starting to prep for the first ripening grapes to be harvested. It is such an exciting time! Gloves on, sheers out, picking bins placed, the roar of tractors bringing fermenters from barn to winery, this is no doubt my favorite time of year. But it is not for the faint of heart, it is grueling, sticky, cold in the mornings, hot in the afternoons, and just when you think your day is coming to a head, more bins show up with fruit ready to be destemmed, sorted, yeast and sulphur implemented as the winemaker sees fit, and continues until after sundown. And the punch downs, oh the punch downs numerous times a day, while your back is aching as the thick skinned grapes get cursed and praised all at the same time. What next? In the corner of your eye, you see the forklift lifting another bin and hearing the weight of grapes pour into the destemmer (my favorite sound). Pick, lift, dump, sort, change out bins of stems, rinse the bins to be put back in the vineyard for more grapes to be picked, while the sorted get moved to the winery to await punch downs. Whoops! I ate another fruit fly, eeek one in the ear too. "Don't let them in! Cover the bins!' Days later into barrels, concrete eggs, stainless steel the juice goes and stays for lengths of time before racking, cleaning out barrels, testing acidity and sugar levels.....But that is not all! Once the juice is ready to bottle, there are caps, corks, bottles and labels to order. And when bottling time is here whether by hand or essembly line, it doesn't stop until the job is done.
There are so many fascets to vineyards and wineries. Not to mention the expenses. Turning a profit in any business takes time, but for a small winemaker it can take many years. After hastling with growers to get a good prices for their fruit, not being able to get the fruit they want, adjusting their vision, tending to their own vines, getting equipment and/or finding a place to crush and make their wine. They then have to hustle, sell themseves and their wine. And the cycle repeats. In the midst of all the chaos they prey to the wine gods for an optimal growing season, and no fires, man oh man, no fires!
Small local producers thrive to make ends meet and in a market that does not make it easy for the 'little guy'. Here at the wine bar I get asked why local wine is more expensive than some wines of Europe, the reasons I hope are now obvious. Many producers in Europe have had their land and wineries for many generations making their overhead low. We in the U.S. are really still babies, even in regions that have recieved worldwide recognition. There are morgages, vineyard maintence, fruit to purchase, equipment to pay off, property taxes, leases, labor, distribution...etc.
I have been so fortunate to be apart of many harvests and though it is my favorite time of year and I love manual labor, I feel the stress of vineyard owners and winemakers. And though this entire process is best done with a team, I have met so many small producers that go it alone and/or with minimal help. Can you imagine?! But when it is all said and done, the pride of tasting their own wine is intoxicating (pun intended). Every year/vintage is fully remembered, cause they were fully in it. So it is easy to remember the vintage of 2012 (great year!) I was helping Burnt Bridge harvest Viognier that year and I will never forget the pretty, fragrant, small berries being sorted and crushed.
So at the end of harvest while vineyard/ winery workers and winemakers pop open a crisp cold beer waiting for the magic to happen in barrel, remember the stamina and grit it takes to be a winemaker and all the hard work and stress it takes to get those bottles into shops and into your hands. I personally always think of the people that made my wine, with every sip, I close my eyes, I think of that year in gratitude, respect, and admiration. It doesn't just take a village, it takes a vineyard!
Starting July 25th and through August, Porrón Cellars will be hosting Small Producer Thursdays! These small producers come from Willamette Valley all the way up to Columbia Valley! Come join us as these winemakers take us through their world of wine!
July 25th Teddi of Lushington Wines 5-8pm
August 1st Lizzy of Lagniappe Wines 5-8pm
August 8th Shawn and Anthony of Abundancia Vineyards 5-8pm
August 15th Kyle of ILLAHE Vineyards 5-8pm
August 22nd Erich of Ricochet Wine Co. 5-8pm
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