2014 Harvest – Chardonnay
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Today the Ravines team harvested Chardonnay at the White Springs vineyard in Geneva, NY.
Winemaker Morten Hallgren doesn’t base his harvest schedule on numbers, as some other winemakers do. (For example, some winemakers will look at brix, which is the amount of sugars in the juice.) Morten makes his decisions on when to harvest based on several criteria, including the weather forecast and an overall impression of the fruit. For Chardonnay, he looks for a translucent quality to the grapes and whether the foliage has begun to change color.
Morten commented that this year’s fruit looks “beautiful” and that the quality of this year’s harvest is “above average”; he thinks the 2014 vintage is in the “top 20 percent” of all time.
The Ravines 2014 Chardonnay will be a blend of grapes. Most of the wine will be White Springs grapes, and some will be from the 16 Falls vineyard in Lodi, NY.
We’re also harvesting grapes for the next vintage of our Keuka Village White blend. Keuka Village White is a fruity blend of Cayuga White and Vignoles; the Vignoles was harvested at White Springs last week.
Next to be harvested: Merlot and Gerwurztraminer.
Check back later for more posts from the 2014 harvest!