Veraison is here!

By Wine Club Manager, Jillian Oksen

It’s that time of year again, veraison is here! The vineyard has progressed from the quiet time of dormancy and then after pruning, we saw budding and fruit set and now we are into the beginning of the hustle and bustle of harvest with veraison. Veraison is a French term for the beginning of grape ripening. This is when the grapes change color from green to red. It is also when the sugar increases, acidity decreases, and the pH increases in the grapes. The diurnal weather in Paso Robles makes for a wonderful place to grow grapes. Our warm days increase the sugars in the grapes and our cool nights balance out the grape’s pH making for high-quality wines.

At this time veraison has started at both vineyards and the countdown to harvest has begun. About 40 to 70 days after the onset of veraison harvest begins. Once all the grape clusters have changed color the winemakers will start pulling samples to test the Brix (sugar level) and pH levels. While testing is very important to help guide our winemakers' decision to harvest a varietal it ultimately comes down to taste. Once both the tests and the taste are where Terry and Anthony want it to be harvest begins.

While each varietal is harvested in its own time, our first pick of the year is typically our Sauvignon Blanc. All our harvesting is done at night to make sure that the grapes aren’t going through photosynthesis during the pick. If we were to pick during the day by the time we got to the other end of the vineyard the grape sugars and pH would have changed from what Terry and Anthony wanted.

In anticipation of harvest, the winery is buzzing with preparations for all the grapes to come. We are finishing bottling our Estate wines to make room for the new vintage. Tanks are being emptied and cleaned as well as barrels. The team is looking forward to producing another stellar vintage.