08/26/2026
Two years ago, we grafted 200 Chardonnay vines onto rootstock. After two years of careful tending, it was finally time to harvest. Aurelio (Ray) and I gathered 1,000 lbs of grapes, filling 50 buckets in just three hours.
Exhausted from the effort, I was grateful for a lunch break to recuperate.
Afterward, Aurelio dumped the buckets into the destemmer while I collected the juice and pomace and poured into the press. As the juice flowed, I collected the juice in buckets and poured it into a stainless steel tank. The processing took about two hours, followed by another hour of cleanup.
Filled with pride, we rolled the fresh juice into the fermentation area to rest overnight, preparing for the next stages of the winemaking process.
