Tag Archive for: winegrapes

Harvest 2023

time to pick the chardonnay grapes!

July 9, 2023

The first harvest is set!  We will pick the chardonnay grapes on Monday morning, July 17 starting at 6:30 am.

Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. We’ll provide everything else you need. We will start bright and early at sunrise but most folks come about 7am or later and go until all the grapes are picked, usually about 9 or 10 am.

After harvest in the morning, our grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed and prepared for fermentation at the winery. Feel free to come by our location at 841 N Main St, Salado and see the grapes start their journey to a bottle of wine.

RSVPs/Tickets are not required, but if you register, then we have an easy way to contact you if anything changes. Check out facebook page if there is unexpected weather or updates.

Pets must be leashed. There are cows, horses, and donkeys in adjacent fields and they will bite dogs.

We have been growing grapes since 2005! The vineyard is located at 21724 Hill Rd, Salado, TX 76571.  This venue is only a vineyard, it is generally closed to the public except during harvest. This location does not sell or serve wine.  For more information call (254) 947-8011, or visit Salado Winery, 841 N Main ST, Salado TX, 12 pm -6 pm.

Harvest events are published on our eventbrite page for the vineyard and updates are published on our facebook page

June 2023

Well June 2023 was certainly hot!  Good thing we had lots of rain in May.  The grapes are looking good and by the end of June we are seeing veraison starting.  Veraison is the fancy word for changing color.  The grapes no longer grow bigger and at this point we sort of coast until harvest.  Stay tuned as we will set the date for chardonnay harvest soon!

beginning of veraison

Merlot + Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest 2017

SATURDAY, August 5, 2017

Come pick grapes with us at the vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX! You can even eat some straight from the vine! Harvest is family friendly. Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. We’ll provide everything else you need. We will start bright and early at 7am and go until all the grapes are picked….#Wineryboy has been picking grapes since he was 1!

After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. The grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using machines then prepared for fermentation. By late afternoon we will add the yeast and alcohol formation begins!

Invite your friends and follow the Merlot + Cab Harvest on Facebook

12th Annual Chardonnay Harvest, Saturday, July 22

Come pick grapes with us at the vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX! You can even eat some straight from the vine! Harvest is family friendly. Wear comfortable, cool clothing and tennis shoes. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and bug spray. We’ll provide everything else you need. We will start bright and early at 7am and go until all the grapes are picked….#Wineryboy has been picking grapes since he was 1!

Hecho en Queso will be at the vineyard offering breakfast tacos for sale.

After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. The grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using machines then prepared for fermentation. By late afternoon we will add the yeast and alcohol formation begins!

Invite your friends and follow the chardonnay harvest on facebook

Hail in the Vineyard

leaf torn from hail

Texas grapegrowers pray often!  We’ve made it past late freezes here, but Mother Nature has another threat for us…

Texas storms can mean hail and we have seen some at our vineyard this spring.  This picture shows some minor damage that our vines suffered on April 10, 2017 in the mid-afternoon.  As you can see, the hail tore small bits of leaves, but luckily the grapes and grapevines did not sustain any damage.  We’ve got some vigorous vines and they will keep on growing just fine.

Some of our friends in the Texas High Plains were hit by hail recently as well.  Clearly the storm that hit them was much more severe than ours!

 

Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest 2016

One last chance this year to harvest grapes! Our Cabernet Sauvignon harvest will be Saturday, September 3.

How to Get There
The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX, 76571. Exit 279 I-35 and we’re just a quarter mile up Hill Road on the east side of I-35. The vineyard is on the right side of Hill Road. You’ll see the vines from the road!

What to Bring
We will start bright and early at 7 am and go until all the grapes are picked, usually before noon. Wear comfortable, cool clothing. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and lots of water to start with. We’ll provide everything else you need, including more cold water. If you have a favorite pair of pruners feel free to bring them, but we’ll have plenty for you. We recommend tennis shoes because sometimes there is stinging nettle or a hidden ant mound but you can wear sandals if you like. Sometimes folks like to wear light cotton gloves to protect your manicure or help prevent wasp stings, but there are no thorns on grape vines. Harvest is family friendly, so feel free to bring the kiddos…#Wineryboy has been picking grapes since he was 1!

The After Party
After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. The grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using a machine then prepared for fermentation.

RSVP
If you’re coming, text your RSVP to 254.466.5813 or RSVP on Facebook.

FOOD!
Our friends at Hecho en Queso will be out at the vineyard until 10:30 or 11 the morning of Cab Sauv harvest, September 3. They’ll be serving up breakfast tacos and more, so make sure to come ready to eat!

Harvest 2016–UPDATED!

Here are the 2016 chardonnay and sangiovese pickin' people

Here are the 2016 chardonnay and sangiovese pickin’ people

The harvest season is already half over and our plans have changed some.  The chardonnay and the sangiovese was harvested July 30th.  The merlot harvest has been pushed back to August 13 and the Cabernet Sauvignon might be ready before Thanksgiving!

Here is the plan as of August 1, 2016.

How to Get There
The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX, 76571. Exit 279 off I-35 and we’re just a quarter-mile up Hill Road on the East side of I-35. The vineyard is on the right side of Hill Road. You’ll see the vines from the road!

What to Bring
We will start bright and early at 7 am and go until all the grapes are picked, usually before noon. Wear comfortable, cool clothing. You’ll want to bring a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and lots of water to start with. We’ll provide everything else you need, including more cold water. If you have a favorite pair of pruners feel free to bring them, but we’ll have plenty for you. We recommend tennis shoes because sometimes there is stinging nettle or a hidden ant mound but you can wear sandals if you like.  Sometimes folks like to wear light cotton gloves to protect their manicure or help prevent wasp stings, but there are no thorns on grape vines. Harvest is family friendly, so feel free to bring the kiddos…Dino has been picking grapes since he was 1!

The After Party
After harvest in the morning, you can join us at the winery to watch grape processing. Our grapes will be de-stemmed and crushed using a machine then the chardonnay will be pressed and red grapes will be prepared for fermentation.

RSVP
If you’re coming, text your RSVP to 254.466.5813 or RSVP on the Facebook event pages (links below), and we’ll let you know if the plan changes.  Otherwise, see you there!

pickingHarvest Day 2
Saturday, August 13 from 7 am – 10 am
Merlot (probably) grapes

Sign up online here so we know how many people to expect and invite your friends!

 

 

processing grapesHarvest Days 3
DATE TBD
Cabernet Sauvignon 

Check out our Facebook page for details on our last two grape varietals to be picked! It will likely be Saturday, August 20th or 27th.

Harvest 2015 starts Aug 6

picking grapes is easy

picking grapes is easy

Harvest begins at our vineyard on Thursday, August 6th at 7:00 am and we welcome you to join us! The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX, 76571.

Wear sunscreen, bug spray and a big hat.  If you have a favorite pair of pruners then bring them, but we’ll have plenty for you.  Dress for heat, but be prepared for anything.  I recommend shoes and socks because sometimes there is pigweed that stings or a hidden ant mound and I prefer a little protection for my toesies, but you can wear sandals if you like.  Sometimes folks like to wear light cotton gloves, that might help prevent wasp stings, but there are no thorns, so gloves not required.

Families are welcome, the work isn’t hard, just the heat can be a bit discouraging.  We will pick until all grapes are harvested, usually around 11 or 12 noon.

If you’re coming, text your RSVP to 254.466.5813, and I will let you know if the plan changes.  Otherwise, see you there!

We expect to harvest again on Saturday, August 8th and Sunday, August 9th, at 7 am so stay tuned!