{"id":38306,"date":"2025-07-18T13:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gervasivineyard.com\/?p=38306"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:58:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T19:58:24","slug":"gervasis-vineyards-grapes-spend-the-summer-getting-ready-for-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gervasivineyard.com\/gervasis-vineyards-grapes-spend-the-summer-getting-ready-for-harvest\/","title":{"rendered":"Gervasi\u2019s vineyards & grapes spend the summer getting ready for harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Panoramic<\/p>\n

When pulling into the entrance gates at Gervasi Vineyard Resort & Spa (GV), visitors will be enamored by the north vineyard lining the entrance road. When they drive just a bit further down that road, they will be face-to-face with the south vineyard.<\/p>\n

A lot is going on in the vineyards throughout the summer months.<\/p>\n

Both vineyards look serene and manicured, but underneath the calm and quiet, the vineyards and grapes are preparing for the yearly harvest to begin.<\/p>\n

\u201cSummertime is when we are helping the vines maintain their shape and protecting the grapes,\u201d said head winemaker, David Smith. \u201cWe do things like combing the shoots so they lay evenly with some space for light and airflow. We will also thin out shoots and pull some leaves away from the developing fruit clusters to help increase air and light exposure. Sometimes we will need to remove grape clusters if the vines set too many in the spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Guests<\/p>\n

Harvesting the grapes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both vineyards are harvested by hand. GV will have 20-40 people picking grapes on any given day in September.<\/p>\n

Smith said, \u201cGervasi\u2019s vineyard harvest starts the first week of September. \u00a0We will typically have three to four picking days within the first three weeks of September. \u00a0After that time, GV will receive juice and fruit from other vineyards through mid-October.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn a picking day, all the grapes are loaded into half-ton bins that go directly into our cold storage room to chill overnight. The next day, the fruit is destemmed and crushed into tanks and is ready to be fermented. We average about 15 tons combined across all three varieties from our vineyards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/p>\n

Love those grapes that make the wine taste so good!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Juicier grapes will produce a higher yield of pressed juice volume per ton of picked grapes. The style of wine is not really affected by how juicy any given grape variety is.<\/p>\n

GV\u2019s grapes are used in red, rose and white wines including Marquette (red); Frontenac Gris (ros\u00e9); and Aromella (white).<\/p>\n

Good grapes make for really good wines. Smith said the weather is always a factor in the condition of the grapes. \u00a0\u201cWeather plays a direct role in the final quality of the grapes, no matter what the weather might be. Overly wet summers will tend to reduce overall fruit quality because of fungal disease pressure. Plus, the extra water tends to promote too much vegetative growth, which also redirects the vine’s energy away from developing fruit. An overly dry summer can reduce vine growth and fruit maturity if no irrigation is used. If it is extremely dry and hot, then the fruit can degrade and\/or shrivel under extreme conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three types of grapes grown in the two vineyards include Marquette, used for the Unita<\/a>, Celebrazione<\/a>, and Risata<\/a> wines; Frontenac Gris, used to make Lascito<\/a>; and Aromella, used to make the Passione<\/a> wine.<\/p>\n

Aromella gets hand-sorted to remove any \u201cMOG\u201d (Material Other Than Grape). After sorting, the grapes are loaded whole cluster into a press to press out the juice and pump it into a tank for fermentation.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

After sorting out the MOG,\u00a0the Marquette grapes\u00a0get sent through a machine that removes the stems and then lightly crushes the grapes. The crushed grapes are then pumped into a fermentation vessel.<\/p>\n

After sorting out the MOG,\u00a0the\u00a0Frontenac Gris grapes get sent through the de-stemmer\/crusher and then the crushed grapes will go to a holding tank. The crushed grapes are held cold for a few days so that the juice can soak up color from the skins. Eventually, the grapes get pumped into the press to squeeze out the liquid to get a rose-colored juice. Then the juice is ready to ferment.<\/p>\n

Smith said, \u201cThese grapes were chosen because they are well suited to our vineyard site and climate. Each of these varieties was selected for winter cold hardiness that goes below -10\u00b0F, and each variety shows good resistance to some common fungal diseases that thrive in our wet and humid summers.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the vineyards are busy doing what needs to be done to foster good grapes, below are a few fun facts about grapes and wine.<\/p>\n

\"Group<\/p>\n

10 Fun Facts about grapes and wine:<\/strong><\/p>\n

according to https:\/\/www.napavalley.com\/blog\/basic-wine-facts\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n