Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
With winter rains already starting and more wet weather expected throughout the season, cover crops can help offset overly wet vineyard soils
Posted: December 11, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
California grapegrower Peter Cargasacchi talks about using his cover crops to keep down water levels in vineyard soils during the upcoming expected wet winter.
News & Features
:
News
A first look at vintage quality in European wine regions, with eyewitness reports from growers and winemakers
Posted: December 4, 2009
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
El Niño conditions are setting up that could mean dealing with excessive rainfall in California after three consecutive dry years
Posted: December 4, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
California grapegrower Peter Cargasacchi reports that the winter forecast is for an El Niño condition, which could cause much more rainfall than the Golden State has seen in the past three years, and will require viticultural adjustments in the vineyards.
News & Features
:
News
A first look at vintage quality in French wine regions, with eyewitness reports from growers and winemakers
Posted: December 3, 2009
News & Features
:
News
A first look at vintage quality in U.S. wine regions, with eyewitness reports from growers and winemakers
Posted: December 2, 2009
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Temperatures are approaching freezing in Santa Barbara County, so the heaters are on as malolactic fermentations proceed
Posted: December 1, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
California grapegrower Peter Cargasacchi is overseeing the malolactic fermentations of his Santa Barbara County Pinot Noirs and more as the temperatures drop.
Nov. 30, 2009 Issue
:
News
Posted: November 30, 2009
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
As the temperatures in Santa Barbara County get closer and closer to freezing, the vines prepare to go dormant
Posted: November 23, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
California grapegrower Peter Cargasacchi reports on his Wine Spectator blog that the vines in his Santa Barabara County vineyard are nearing dormancy as winter approaches.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux at Châteaus Giscours, du Tertre and Haut-Bailly is one to get excited about
Posted: November 16, 2009 By Alexander Van Beek
Wine Spectator guest blogger Alexander Van Beek says that after watching the fermentations at Châteaus Giscours, du Tertre and Haut-Bailly, the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux could be a great one.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
The late-harvest Pinot Grigio has finally been picked
Posted: November 13, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
California grapegrower Peter Cargasacchi reports on his Wine Spectator blog that his late-harvest Pinot Grigio has been harvested and his last three barrels of Pinot Noir have been pressed.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Coping with coffee withdrawal while harvesting Mourvèdre and waiting for late-harvest Pinot Grigio
Posted: November 9, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
California grapegrower Peter Cargasacchi reports that the late-ripening Mourvèdre grapes in Paso Robles have been harvested while he waits for the perfect moment to pick his late-harvest Pinot Grigio.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Food-and-wine pairing, a lesson in terroir and vampires as night-time picking crew
Posted: October 30, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
I escaped the vineyards and winery and spent the last two days visiting retail and restaurant accounts in Sacramento, the capital of California and a beautiful city. Great food transforms wine, and winemakers make every effort to put their wines into the best restaurants, so I had some great dining experiences there. I left Sacramento late last night and got home early this
morning. The nocturnal business of night picking makes unusual schedules and
night travel a little easier at this time of year. But maybe it's just that the
habits of the vampires on our nighttime picking crew are rubbing off on me?
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
At Pieve Santa Restituta, the 2009 Montalcino harvest is over
Posted: October 26, 2009 By Gaia Gaja
Gaia Gaja says that the harvest at Pieve Santa Restituta, in Tuscany's Montalcino district, began Sept. 20 and ended Oct. 12--all in all a very fast harvest that resulted in optimal-quality grapes despite some weather concerns leading up to harvest.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Brian Loring waits until the last moment to harvest his 2009 Pinot Noir crop
Posted: October 23, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
Wine Spectator guest blogger and California winegrower Peter Cargasacchi says that Brian Loring waits until the last moment to harvest his 2009 Pinot Noir crop.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Harvesting grapes under cover of darkness creates both difficulties and worthwhile advantages
Posted: October 20, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
Why pick at night? Fruit that is undamaged and cold has a much lower potential for the growth of unwanted microorganisms and for oxidation. Simply put, fruit picked at night or in the cool of the morning makes better wine by giving the winemaker control of the fermentation.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Most of the Bordeaux properties finished the harvest this week, with just a few grapes left to pick here and there
Posted: October 19, 2009 By Alexander Van Beek, Véronique Sanders
Châteaus du Tertre and Giscours finished harvesting this past Tuesday, and Château Haut-Bailly on Wednesday. Now it's time for the end of harvest parties and some early assessments of the vintage, which looks to be fantastic.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
After some midweek rains, we were back in the vineyard picking Pinot Noir last night
Posted: October 16, 2009 By Peter Cargasacchi
On Monday, with the remnants of a typhoon in the Pacific heading straight toward us, I picked the slightly more than 1-acre parcel of Pinot Noir I grow for Ken Byron Brown. The rainfall total for Tuesday and Wednesday was 2.75 inches. It was a soaker, with no runoff. A little early and poorly timed for both the Pinot Noir and pastures. However, the rain gave me a little more time to spend with my fermenting wines and develop the calluses on my hands doing punch-downs.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Harvesting the red varieties, waiting out the rain and picking Mr. Harvest
Posted: October 15, 2009 By Gaia Gaja
The harvest at Ca'Marcanda, in the Bolgheri area of Tuscany, occurred between Sept. 7 and Oct. 6, starting with our experimental white varieties. On Sept. 18, we finished picking the last of the Syrah but still had all of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese left to harvest. However, it started to rain in Bolgheri and continued for five days, dropping a total of 200 mm (8 inches). The rain worried us and, after the fifth day, we thought we faced real trouble. Yet on the sixth day, as if by plan, the rains stopped, good weather resumed and providential northern winds dried the grapes off, preventing mold and preserving the quality of the crop.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
A video of harvesting the estate's 100-year-old Cabernet
Posted: October 14, 2009 By Véronique Sanders
At Château Haut-Bailly, we have 70 acres of planted vines on one piece of
land, and 15 percent of the vines are more than 100 years old! They are a mix of six different grape varieties-seven-twelfths Cabernet Sauvignon. You can see us harvesting them in this video.
Blogs
:
2009 Harvest Winemakers' Blog
Cabernets show great balance and richness
Posted: October 12, 2009 By Véronique Sanders, Alexander Van Beek
The excitement here in Bordeaux is growing day by day as the Cabernets being brought in also show tremendous potential, like the Merlots, thereby confirming the quality of the vintage. The weather continues to be amazing: Record fall temperatures beat down on Bordeaux! It was 30°C (86°F) on Oct. 6 ... just like in 1929!
