Vintage 2012 - Day Seven

A week into vintage and there has been barely anything harvested. A lot of the fruit is just not quite ripe enough, but has promising levels of acid to ensure that when the fruit does come off it will be sensational. The fruit I was working with on my seventh day wasn't quite up to Gunderloch scratch, as I helped Johannes and some of his school mates pick a parcel of grapes they are fermenting for a project. We kept things pretty old-school with one of us wearing a large basket on our backs for the others to dump their buckets into. Perhaps this is something I can look forward to when I am in the Mosel in a few weeks. Unfortunately for Johannes and his fellow students the de-stemming machine at the school winery packed it in and they had to be done manually, something Johannes couldn't stick around for. In the afternoon I helped around the winery again, preparing and packing some wine.

Bright and early we harvest the fruit. That's what makes the difference.

Get right in there and don't miss any grapes.

Fine work from Johannes here.

Is it just me or do I look slightly confused?

Nice lens flare.

The grapes go in the bucket.

Then into the basket.

Then into the bin.

The wine pyramid at the Oppenheim Wine School

Bins of grapes waiting to be de-stemmed and pressed.