Merlot Ready

We have a very active 4 or 5 days ahead of us. Merlot is ripe, concentrated and flavorful. As with the white grapes, ripening happened faster than anticipated. Next week’s forecast does not look promising with showers possible every day starting Tuesday. This may force our hand to also pick some Cabernet Franc from our earlier ripening young vines.

The decision of when to pick becomes stressful when inclement weather is predicted. Rain is worrisome for several reasons. Big rains over an inch or two can cause juice (and therefor wine) dilution as the vine roots soak up available soil water and pump it into the grapes.  Persistent showers under cloudy conditions can result in compromised skins and eventually rot which would require a lot of slow, meticulous sorting during crush.

A forecast five days out could change, but we are already making contingency plans.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: September 12, 2024