As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, our 2014 pinot harvest is finally in the crusher, despite farmer suddenly bursting out in shingles a few days before!
I love this photo taken by farmer at 6AM. He is an excellent photographer, especially with his “real” camera. None of this “sissy stuff” for him.
Notice the dripping wires from the cold, foggy night?
Our nighttime temperatures are starting to dip into the low 50’s while shooting up close to 90 during the day. Perfect pinot weather!
If you look closely, you can see the grapes fall into his bin. Why they don’t lose fingers is a miracle!
You can always tell the grapes are ready because the vineyard begins to look tired and shriveled.
A few weeks prior, the grapes looked nothing like this.
They were plump and shiny without the brownish cast they develop as they approach raisins!
It can be tricky, between weather, the winery and heat, determining exactly when the grapes are perfectly ready.
It’s stressful.
The winery has it’s hands’ full, harvesting all around the area.
Ours is only one of the vineyards they harvest, while it is our ONLY vineyard.
As we wait and watch racoon, squirrel, mice, wasps and deer enjoy the sweet fruit, patience and nerves can become frayed.
But in the end, another plentiful harvest!
Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
fluttering from the autumn tree.
Emily Brontë
Gerlinde
Oh, the poor farmer with shingles, I hope he only has a light case of it. I just recovered from shingles.
Congratulations on a bountiful harvest. Do you make your own wine?
ĽAdelaide
Hi Gerlinde,
His was a light case i suppose as when i had it years ago, it seemed much worse. He is feeling fine now but the timing was definitely difficult then as it was very hot and I was worried about his ear, that had a large lesion at that time. All’s well thank goodness. 🙂
We don’t make wine, we have no winery, just vineyards. We’ve thought about it but the costs are astronomical! Perhaps one day our son will. He’s quite the wine expert. Have a lovely weekend!
Mary
Gorgeous scenes with this years’ harvest Linda, some great B&W photos too! Wow those grapes look awesome, love how plump they are and the deep richness of color. So much stress in picking them at just the right time, no wonder Mr. Farmer has shingles. The harvesting time here has just begun too, last weekend the town next door (is the area of growing grapes around here) had their harvest festival with some 250,000 people descending to the vineyards and town – a real “grape-stomping” time! Seriously though, a real nice vineyard about 1/4 mile down the road and they produce some fine white wines. So happy that you guys had a bountiful harvest!!
ĽAdelaide
Thanks Mary… my husband is a fantastic photographer and he’s the usual photographer for the grapes since he’s over there very early when the light is perfect. I’m not an early riser at all. Wish i was but i’m too much a night owl to stop now. His shingles were there when we had family here and really, i think it was in preparing for their visit with the swing set build and the whale of a pool that has sat empty since they all left. Hardly seems worth it now although at the time, it was a blast….. now to pack it in for winter… sigh. He’s fine now.
I’m very happy too about the harvest. Farmer works so hard on it with a very small crew. It’s nice when things turn out nicely as they’ve done for the past few years. We need to put in a farm pond and plant more vines so the more, the better at this point …. Won’t mention the airstream we’ve got our eye on. 😉
Mary
Very cool future plans and I keep my fingers crossed for you guys!
janetweightreed10
Beautiful images….as for shingles…that’s a horrible thing to have…let’s hope it goes away quickly.
ĽAdelaide
Thanks Janet…. All is back to normal now. He had a mild case as it turned out or they just had to give up and go away since he wasn’t stopping…. They ARE terrible, aren’t they!
Have a lovely weekend!
Gretchen Del Rio
Beautiful photos of the bountiful harvest. I wonder what the smells are like. Thank you for this glimpse into Sonoma…..one of my favorite places.
ĽAdelaide
Thank you, Gretchen… I’ll tell farmer you said so. The vineyard begins to smell like wine about now. There’s many acres of grapes and not all get ripe at once(thank goodness) so it’s muted but definite. And earth… dust. Dry land by now…. tho we do irrigate if necessary but hardly need to. I’m glad you like it here… I do too. I was actually born in Sonoma, believe it or not. Have a good weekend!
Anonymous
Oh, my, you gave us a great lesson on wine making. So glad the harvest has yielded and you are on your way to another great Pinot Noir.
Sorry about your farmer with shingles. Hope he recovers.
ĽAdelaide
Silvia,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. As I said, we can thank my husband for the photography. 😉 And he now feeling fine. Well, perhaps a little tired but the lesions have healed. xox
Mel
MIGHT be the stressors of harvest and farm life, period. I mean, folks think farmers sit around once they planted and sit around once they harvest. Umm….how silly can people be! Needless to say, I’m glad the man’s healed on the lesion front, but boy do I know the pain even if there isn’t physical evidence of the darn things acting up.
WOW the photos are amazing. (sucker for black and white!) Hand the man a camera and tell him MORE, please! 😉
Amazing….I love seeing farmers at work and play. Harvest time is such an anxiety producing time, but such an awesome time.
ĽAdelaide
You’re so right about farmers… We never stop excepting mid winter for about 8 weeks maybe, depending upon weather. Still the crews are back in pruning after new years… no, it never really sleeps.
I do keep saying MORE!! 🙂 Seems he thinks there are more important things to do. I don’t know why…. !!
doronart
I love to see you smiling and it sound great. the picture tell a nice story keep squeezing and get that beautiful juice as you deserve it. Good luck 🙂 xxXxx
ĽAdelaide
Thanks Doron. It’s a very good harvest this year! YAY for that, we need it. xxx
doronart
Deserve it too good luck xxxX