Harvest is Almost Here…
Checking sugar level with our refractometer
Late, Late, Late
It was a dark, cold night... no rather a bright, cold spring and the flowering started late and took forever with fruit set. Followed by an also cold summer with late start of veraison (color change). This potentially means a late harvest but last year after we had the six days of a 100+F heat spell early September things quickly picked up pace. Well, we didn’t get that Labor day heat this year and the next 10 days looks like a nice, regular fall weather.
So this year may be the first time we don't get grapes in until October! Which also means that we will still be picking around Thanksgiving and may not end up filling barrels until Christmas time. Considering that I picked Syrah and Grenache on Mallorca over a month ago this will end up as a long, long harvest!
Days are getting shorter and the mornings colder in Sta Rita Hillls
Does that make the grapes better or worse? As long as we don’t get rain until it is all picked Rebecca and I think there is a great potential for our 2023 vintage. The wet winter made the vines grow really well and the canopy is looking as good as it ever has. We also like picking later in the year since days are shorter = less photosynthesis (anybody remember what that is?) = slower ripening which gives us a better chance to make the best picking decisions. We are really excited about 2023!
Biodynamic preparations at Ampelos Vineyard: BD501
SOBR (Sustainable/Organic/Biodynamic/Regenerative): Spraying Quartz Crystals
As a part of our Biodynamic farming (lets just call it BD) we apply BD preparations during the year. Mostly different kinds of fertilizers and energy stimulants. One of our favorites is BD501 which is quartz crystals that we grind to a powder as fine as flour and then store it on the ranch in the traditional cow horns. Buried at spring equinox and dug out at fall equinox.
Three times a year we apply the BD501: At 6-8 inches of shoot growth in the spring, after fruit set which usually is in June and finally 2 weeks before we harvest. Which means: Right now! These tiny crystals’ very precise structure absorbs and radiates light which assist the vines in their photosynthesis, nitrogen fixing and even ripening of the clusters.
Chencho is stirring BD 501 earlier this week
In order to prepare the application of BD501 we dynamize the solution through a specific way of stirring that simulates the power of a vortex and then we spray it gently on the fruit-zone of the vines. This past week we applied the BD501 to all the Pinot Noir blocks since they will be picked soon. Syrah and Grenache will be following in a few weeks.
Ampelos being enjoyed at the Copenhagen Harbor
Ampelos Wines On The Road
Always great to hear how people are enjoying our wines around the world. These are our dear friends Peder and Pia Pedersen opening a bottle of our 2020 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir with a nice view over Nordhavn in Copenhagen.
A month ago I actually celebrated my birthday swimming in the harbor – really nice water!
We are proud to now have our wines distributed into Denmark (of course), Sweden, Norway, Singapore, Japan and South Korea!
