So close you can almost taste it!

The 2023 harvest season started off slowly but gained momentum quickly, with the last batch of fruit reaching the winery today. Although for most, this marks the end of the harvest, there is still a lot of work to be done. The final grapes need to be processed, turned into wine, and then transferred to barrels for storage in the cave where they will continue to age until they are ready for bottling. The production team can finally take a breath after a fast and furious harvest as they see the light at the end of the tunnel. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it looks like the 2023 vintage is going to be a blockbuster!

In The Vineyard

The last fruit was sampled and tested on Monday as we were scheduling our final picks of the season. It was all hands on deck as our General Manager, Curtis Strohl, walked our estate vineyard in Oakville, stopping at every 7th vine to ensure a representative sample. He carefully collected berries at different levels of height, exposure to sunlight, and shade, aiming to get an average sample. These grapes were later tested for levels of brix, pH, and phenolic compounds in the lab to determine their ripeness. Our harvest was almost over, and we did everything we could to guarantee that it ended on a high note!

On the Crushpad and In The Winery

As soon as ripe grapes are processed, you can see juice start to burst through the skin, giving you the gold standard of harvest: runoff juice. We make sure to capture every drop of this juice by placing a bucket underneath the shaker table. Later, we add this juice back into the large t-bin where the processed grapes are resting to allow skin contact. You can barely walk into the winery on most days, as the forklift is seen buzzing in and out, loading these large t-bins, full of grapes and juice, into the tanks.

Behind the Scenes

Harvest consists of early morning and late evenings as Mother Nature dictates the schedule. The production team enjoys strong coffee in the morning to help rejuvenate their tired minds and bodies.  Associate Winemaker Derek Taylor and GM Curtis Strohl roast their own coffee beans as a passion project to strive for a flawless cup of coffee. You can often find them in the afternoon next to the roaster, listening for the sound of the beans cracking, indicating that they are roasted to perfection. At the end of a physical day, the team comes together for a crisp, refreshing beer, served straight from a keg in the production building.