grape growing adventures at Salado Vineyard

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest Saturday, August 31

We've double netted the cab sauv to keep out deer and birds!

We’ve double netted the cab sauv to keep out deer and birds!

Saturday & Sunday August 31-September 1, 7:00-11:00 am

<<<<<<<<<<I underestimated the crop!  We’ll continue picking on Sunday morning, SEP 1 at 7AM>>>>>>>>>>

Latest harvest ever! This is your last chance in 2013 to take part in harvesting grapes in Salado.  There are only 3 1/2 rows left, so I expect this will only take one day.

If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you. Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me). Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary. Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat. Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard! I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.

Also, Saturday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action. We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.

The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571. Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com. If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813.

2013 Harvest–Merlot & Sangiovese complete & Cab Sauvignon TBD

IMAG0467Thanks to lots of help from great friends, we’ve completed the harvest of the sangiovese and merlot.  We picked from 7 am, Saturday, August 17 until 12:30 pm.  Then we grabbed some great tacos at Sylvia’s Taco truck and now we’ll be crushing grapes all afternoon.

Not quite sure when we’ll harvest the cabernet sauvignon yet, probably in 2 weeks!

Red Grape Harvest MOVED to August 17-18, 2013

picking grapes is so easy--even a one year old can do it

picking grapes is so easy–even a one year old can do it!

After test #4, we’ve decided that the red grapes will not be ready until August 17.  So the next chance to harvest is Saturday & Sunday, August 17 & 18 at 7 am.

We usually pick grapes until 11 am and you’re welcome to come for as little or as long as you like.  Come for the fun and camaraderie!  Kids welcome.

If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you.  Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me).  Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary.  Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat.  Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard!  I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.

Also, Sunday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action.  We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.

The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571.  Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com.  If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813.  More harvest updates will be available, and they are tentatively listed on our homepage under “vineyard” or on ourfacebook page http://www.facebook.com/SaladoWinery.

Test #4 for Grape Ripeness

uneven ripening, 3 more weeks to go

uneven ripening, 1 more week to go

I thought that we would harvest the red grapes during the weekend of August 10-11, but after testing the grapes, I have decided that we will wait one more week, and harvest the red grapes August 17-18.  Here are the numbers from test #4 (done Tuesday, August 6, 2013) for those who are curious:

Sangiovese piccolo 3.42 pH, 19 degrees Brix, 8.4 TA (pear)

Sangiovese grosso 3.54 pH, 20 degrees Brix, 8.25 TA (overripe plum)

Cabernet Sauvignon 3.29 pH, 17 degrees Brix, 9.75 TA (green apple–definitely under ripe)

Merlot 3.56 pH, 19.2 degrees Brix, 7.20 TA (mellow)

Most importantly, I am still seeing some green grapes in the vineyard, some green seeds, and the peduncles have not hardened off quite yet, so I think to optimize the quality of the grapes, I should wait one more week.  Hope the birds don’t get all this fruit!

Some of the numbers have not moved much since test #3, but the flavors are developing, so I have confidence that the grapes are still ripening.

2013 Red Harvest AUG 10-11

picking grapes is easy

picking grapes is easy

<<<<<<<<<<<<UPDATE:  Harvest rescheduled for AUGUST 17-18>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

After testing, we’ve decided that the red grapes will not be ready until August 10.  So the next chance to harvest is Saturday & Sunday, August 10 & 11 at 7 am.

We usually pick grapes until 11 am and you’re welcome to come for as little or as long as you like.  Come for the fun and camaraderie!  Kids welcome.

If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you.  Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me).  Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary.  Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat.  Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard!  I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.

Also, Sunday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action.  We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.

The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571.  Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com.  If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813.  More harvest updates will be available, and they are tentatively listed on our homepage under “vineyard” or on ourfacebook page http://www.facebook.com/SaladoWinery.

Test for harvest #3

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While we picked the chardonnay, I was quite struck by how far behind the reds seem to be.  So time to run the tests again:

Merlot 19.8 degrees Brix, 3.55 pH, 7.5 TA (bland-no flavor)

Sangiovese 18.3 degrees Brix, 3.29 pH, 9.0 TA (strawberry-slightly tart)

Cabernet Sauvignon 16.8 degrees Brix, 3.04 pH, 10.5 TA (TART!)

Based on these numbers, I am predicting that harvest will be Saturday, August 10 & 11, at least for the merlot and sangiovese.

 

We also tested the grapes from Belle Crest Vineyard:

Malbec 20.3 degrees Brix, 3.55 pH, 6.0 TA (fig)

Tempranillo 22 degrees Brix, 3.74 pH, 4.5 TA (pear)

Cabernet Sauvignon 19 degrees Brix, 3.29 pH, 7.5 TA (nectarine)

Their cab sauv looks to be a bit higher than ours, but their sample is not a true random sample since it did not include the green grapes.  For our sample, we tried to make sure that we had a truly random sample and included green berries.

<<<<<<<<<UPDATE: RED harvest at Salado Vineyard MOVED to AUGUST 17 & 18 after test #4>>>>>>>>>

2013 Chardonnay Harvest July 27-28

chardonnay sample picked on July 20. Notice mostly dark brown seeds and some beige.

chardonnay sample picked on July 20. Notice mostly dark brown seeds and some beige.

It is time!  Chardonnay harvest begins Saturday morning, 7 am, July 27.  It will likely continue on Sunday July 28 at 7 am and you are officially invited to join us for Harvest 2013!  We usually pick grapes until 11 am and you’re welcome to come for as little or as long as you like.  Come for the fun and camaraderie!  Kids welcome.

If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you.  Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me).  Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary.  Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat.  Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard!  I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.

Also, Sunday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action.  We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.

The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571.  Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com.  If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813.  More harvest updates will be available, and they are tentatively listed on our homepage under “vineyard” or on ourfacebook page http://www.facebook.com/SaladoWinery.

Test for harvest #2 2013

merlot testing DSC03654 DSC03656We ran the tests again.  Conclusion?  Chardonnay harvest will be July 27-28.  Merlot & Sangiovese?  Hmmm, probably we’ll harvest the Merlot on August 3-4, then the Sangiovese August 10-11 and the Cabernet Sauvignon?  It was so green, we didn’t even test it yet.  We’ll harvest it August 17-18, or maybe a little sooner.

Here are the numbers:

Chardonnay 18.2 degrees Brix,  3.51 pH, 11.25 TA, seeds all light brown to dark brown

Merlot 16.9 degrees Brix, 3.41 pH, 9.75 TA, lots of green seeds

Sangiovese 16 degrees Brix, 3.18 pH, 11.25 TA, lots of green seeds

Cabernet Sauvignon–still only 50% through veraison!

To see the first test, done July 9, 2013, look here

Testing the Grapes to Determine Harvest Date–2013

chardonnay

chardonnay testing in 2009–today’s grapes were much greener

Back on July 25, 2009, I wrote this post about testing the grapes.  On July 9, 2013, we conducted the same tests. And here are my results:

Chardonnay: 14 degrees Brix, 3.4 pH, 20.25 TA, tastes like green apple or apple cider, too many green seeds

Merlot: 14 degrees Brix, 3.05 pH, 14.25 TA  taste like kiwi, lots of green seeds

Sangiovese: 13.2 degrees Brix, 3.01 PH, 18 TA, taste like underripe plum, lots of green seeds

So it is too early to start harvest and now I think I will not be able to start until July 27.

Harvest will be later than I expected

uneven ripening, 3 more weeks to go

uneven ripening, 3 more weeks to go

I tested the grapes yesterday and I was disappointed to find that my estimate for harvest is too early.  Now we expect the schedule to be:

Saturday, July 27 & Sunday July 28==chardonnay

Saturday, August 3 & August 4==merlot

TBD during the week==sangiovese

Saturday, August 10 & Sunday August 11==cabernet sauvignon<<<<subject to change!>>>>>

You are officially invited to join us for Harvest 2013!  We are usually at the vineyard from 7-11 and you’re welcome to come for as little or as long as you like.  Come for the fun and camaraderie!  Kids welcome.

If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you.  Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me).  Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary.  Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat.  Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard!  I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.

Also, Saturday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action.  We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.

The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571.  Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com.  If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813.  More harvest updates will be available, and they are tentatively listed on our homepage under “vineyard” or on ourfacebook page http://www.facebook.com/SaladoWinery.