Discover Walla Walla

Harvest is nearly here, or for some Walla Walla wineries, it's already arrived!  We've been preparing for the grape harvest and now, after so many months of planning, coaxing, watering and weeding the grapes will start to come off the vine and into the winery by the ton.

These final weeks (days for some) mean multiple trips by winemakers to the vineyard to check for ripeness.  Measuring the level of sugar (brix) with an instrument called a refractometer is one way to go, but tasting is what winemakers truly rely on.  We're looking for a complexity of flavors, not just the amount of sugar.  It's a very critical time because the condition of the fruit can change quickly, too.   Ultimately, it's up to the winemaker to call the shot on harvest. Once the grapes reach the winemakers specified level of ripeness, the fruit is scheduled to pick.  It all happens very fast and essentially everyone is on standby.  Nature does not keep a date book!

If you are driving through Walla Walla, or around the outskirts of town where a lot of the wineries are located, you may start to notice trucks with flatbeds hauling grape bins.  I like to spot these because each winery has their name tagged on the sides of the bins and it's a fun way to keep tabs of who's got fruit in the winery that day.  Lots of times it's someone you'll know behind the wheel so a friendly wave is in order.  The white grapes come off the vine first of course, followed by early ripening reds and finally the long hanger-oners.  This year harvest is a bit sooner for everyone because of the massive heat we had in July and August.  The collective heat units stepped up the ripening process quite a bit.  

Meanwhile, back at the winery, there's plenty to do!  Prepping for harvest in the winery is not nearly as glamorous as one might think.  First of all, everything has to be washed.  Wine making production means processing fruit and conducting fermentation in a very clean environment.  Our picking and fermentation bins, crush and press equipment have been stored outside in the crush area since last harvest and now they all need to be thoroughly cleaned.  I feel like I work in a car wash!  Thank goodness for the power washer; everyone should have one!  (Note to self: get a power washer for the kitchen!) 

Barrels are on order and will arrive soon, too.  Barrels must be prepped and ready for use, although, as in the case at our winery, they won't get filled until the wine is pressed off (post fermentation) and that's a good many weeks away.  Prepping the barrel means washing and filling them with water so the wood expands and seals all the cracks.  Along with the fruit, barrels are the costliest annual expense for the winery. Not surprisingly, I prefer the more expensive French barrels over American.  C'est la vie!

What else?  Mainly we prep by bracing ourselves for a solid eight weeks of hard work and not very much rest or time with the family.  Hey, but it's worth it!  When the fruit is finally on the crush pad and ready to load into the stemmer / crusher it's a thrill.  We can taste the season, the sun and soil and imagine what may unfold once these humble grapes are transformed into a lovely wine from Walla Walla.  

Denise Slattery is one of the three co-winemakers and co-owners at Trio Vintners, located in the winery incubator park in Walla Walla, WA
www.triovintners.com