A Busy Time: Harvest 2011

It's been a while since I've shared what I do for a living on Fork and Vine and I thought there is no better time than right now to see all the exciting happenings of a winery. Although I am not actually involved in the production of wines, I appreciate and understand the process and am inspired by those that are involved in making wine. Owen Roe has been underway with harvesting our vineyards in Washington for about a month now, but starting this week we will be harvesting grapes from our Oregon sites, which means we will be going full throttle to get grapes off the vines and processed from two states!

Here is a photo log of the 2011 harvest so far as well as before harvest vineyard shots:

Six Prong Vineyard Grenache

Grenache Cluster

Sorting Grenache

Red Willow Lemberger fermenting

Sorting table

Harvest at a winery is a very stressful time, but it is very exciting. Documenting this process rekindles my love and passion for wine. It truly is an amazing thing and is really inspiring to see all the staff at Owen Roe working together to make such beautiful wines. We also believe the real work in winemaking isn't making wine, but begins with the vineyard. I hope to go out with the head winemaker and assistants this week as we taste through the grapes in Oregon and share some pics with you.

Veraison at Union Gap Vineyard's Malbec block.

East Chapel Block Syrah, Red Willow Vineyard

Chapel and Chapel Block Syrah, Red Willow Vineyard

First fruit in, Dubrul Vineyard Chardonnay.

Destemmed grapes

Stay tuned to see more of the harvest/crush action!