Grapes are coming in, apples too.
Tomorrow I am off to Mt. Vernon to get cider apples though I probably won’t crush and press them until the following week.
I got Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Walla Walla that I think was picked too early but the berries are very small and I think flavorful. I ended up getting some Malbec from up by Quincy that was super ripe and high in sugar, bordering on 30 Brix which I blended together with the juice from Walla Walla. Together I think they are going to make a perfect wine. I have never joined grape varieties and co-fermented them together but I think this is going to be really good. I don’t think the Malbec would have fermented to dryness without adding a bunch of water. As it is I added just a touch and then added the deficient juice. It is just finishing up and looks and tastes great….the Accidental Red.
I also have a batch of Cabernet Sauvignon going from another vineyard in Walla Walla.
All this happened by accident as my long time supplier said I had to pay cash to get grapes….well, I don’t pay that way. He was concerned because I was late paying for last year, but I and many others, I’m sure, got hit by the double wammy of rain in November and the wind in December last year.
Next week I will be getting Semillon followed by Cabernet Franc…then I will be done with grapes.
Sadly, I won’t be gettting any grapes from Vashon Island. Monument Farm Vineyards’ Pinot Noir got hit completely with Powdery Mildew….all that hard work gone to naught. It was really sad, especially as I was hoping to get a bit more wine this year from a bigger yield….but you know, with the rain and the cold we’ve had I’m not sure that they grapes would have even ripened.
I check on the Chasselas Dore grapes at the Jim Stewart Vineyard. All gone…the raccoons got every grape. It is beyond sad.
Oh well, I gotta keep looking ahead.
I’ve been getting help from friends but I have had to do a lot of stuff on my own. I am just busier than ever. Really, business it good, too good; I am running out of bottled wine. So, in addition to making wine I have to worry about bottling wine to have enough for sales over the holidays.
But I can handle it.
