Harvest Recap
Harvest is over and now its time to enjoy the fruits of our labor! But in reality, also get back to all the things I have been neglecting. Like writing these updates. A lot has been happening with indoVINO and I’m excited to catch everyone up!
This harvest I started making wine in a new winery, with new grape varieties and a different climate. The few weeks before harvest starts can go two ways. Some years they are relaxing, those last few moments to soak up the summer before the work really begins. Other years you are trying to enjoy yourself but really just panicked about the weather, how the grapes are doing, and if you’re prepared for the harvest. I experienced the latter. While I was really excited about this new winery, I was going in blind. I wasn’t really sure when the grapes were going to be ready, I wasn’t sure what the work flow was like in the vineyard and winery, how to use the machinery. I didn’t have a plan for who was going to help me pick grapes. And I also still didn’t have my driver’s license, so it became apparent very quickly that Esteban would essentially have to work this entire harvest with me. Everything felt out of my control and I was frustrated.
But I also had to remember that much of my winemaking experience since I have moved to Spain has gone like this. Everything works out in the end, even thought it’s last minute. In Gredos, I always found a ride to the winery, found amazing fruit to make wine, and made things happen. And that’s what happened this time too.
The weeks of harvest were filled with early mornings, driving out to Antequera in the dark, breaking out the headlamps and picking until sunrise. I always liked to stop and take a break, watch the sun hit the mountains, eat a snack and have a sip of coffee. The first pick, the Syrah, Esteban, his sister Carmen, and our friend Cube came to help. It was a nice feeling to bring people together, work outside, and feel the community that winemaking can create. Later when it was time to press the wine our friend Andrea came to help. And of course, Esteban was there to take me to Antequera everyday, accidentally becoming my assistant winemaker and I am still feeling very thankful for that.
In the end I ended up making very small batches of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard on the property. The vines are about 8 years old, which means they are kind of angsty adolescents going through their awkward phase. The fruit is good but has some time before reaching its prime. Which is why I did light extraction of the tannins, not trying to push too hard. Now the wines are fully fermented and sitting in tank, waiting for me to get around to ordering barrels…
I am excited to see how the wines evolve. And also excited to see how this new endeavor goes in the new winery. In the end, everything worked out. Kind of like the vines in their adolescence, I am still adjusting to making my own wine, being a business owner, living in Spain. So I also learned to treat myself gently this harvest, not fretting on the organization, or how little wine I made, just simply taking notes for future years to come.