when we drove our bins over to Red Mountain in anticipation of our first grapes being picked.
Going over Snoqualmie Pass took a bit of time hauling 5000 extra pounds. After we stopped for coffee in Cle Elum the day started looking up. We had a great sunrise greet us as we descended into the the Columbia River Gorge.
We arrived at Ciel du Cheval Vineyard at 9 and proceeded to unload out bins.
bins are what grapes are transported over the mountains in. Plastic bins that will hold around 800 pounds of fruit or so. Here are some of our bins in front of the Crusher/Destemmer
The date was September 2nd and the red grapes were just going through verasion, which is when
the grapes turn colors from green to red. We tasted through our Merlot acreage and some Syrah
and Cabernet Sauvignon. It all needed a bit of time, the acid made our mouths pucker and the flavors were not there. I did get some great shots of some ripening Merlot.
Red Mountain looks like this with the sun just over the ridge.
We made a stop at Olsen vineyard and Boushey just to chat and see how things looked. With the cool weather and how pretty August had been, it sure seems like we are going into a really nice harvest.
2 comments:
Jeff, what an adventure. I almost wanted to drink wine again. The photo's are beautiful.
What an awesome area you live in. Great experience.
Jeff, I love the picture of the ripened merlot grapes. It's frameable. Reading all the details is great fun. Don't leave anything out. Love. Mom1
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