Season Synopsis

All the grapes are off and the vines are beginning to harden off and will soon go dormant for the winter. This has been a challenging year, from the growing season through harvest. In the spring we saw extremely wet conditions. The muddy vineyard made it challenging to get around while dealing with fungus/frost issues.

However, we were able to come out clean on both fronts. The summer months brought on slightly above average temperatures along with a very hot and dry period of a few weeks. Things were looking great at this point. Then came the rains. We received 10+ inches of rain, mainly from hurricane Irene.

As a result, sugar levels dropped, flavors became diluted and a small percentage of grapes were splitting on the vine from taking in too much water. The 2-3 weeks that followed brought decent growing conditions and the flavors bounced back nicely. However, the sugar levels never reached the desired 21 brix.

Harvest followed, starting in the second week of September. Many of the additions that I needed to make when the grapes came in were sugar and calcium carbonate. The sugar addition was made so that the resulting fermentation will finish with the appropriate amount of alcohol. The calcium carbonate addition is to bring down the acid level of the wine which was relatively high as a result of the wet growing season. As of now, all the wines have completed fermentation and are ready to cold stabilize.

The reds have been racked from their primary fermenters and have found temporary homes in stainless steel tanks until they are clarified and stable. At that point they will be racked into oak barrels to age. A few of the white wines have been racked off the lees (sediment) and some will remain on the lees throughout the cold stabilization period. A few of the wines are showing exceptional potential, despite the growing season.

If you have any questions or comments about things that I write, or what you would like to see on this page, please contact me at spyglassridgewinery@gmail.com, call the winery, or even stop by for a tasting and tour. Your feedback is a great tool for me to gauge what I am doing right or wrong.

Thanks for reading!

- Dana