Year-round vine care is done by hand
In early spring, bud break heralds the beginning of each new growing season. Vines are carefully hand tied to the trellis wire to help expose them to sun and air for optimal growth and ripening. Hand-pruned vines focus resources into the strongest buds. Regular inspection of each vine is part of maintaining a healthy vineyard. As grapes begin to ripen, we cover each row with netting to prevent birds from harvesting the grapes. The bird netting is laid over the vines and then secured underneath with thousands of smaller plastic clips.
Harvest time
When the grapes are ripe, we begin the harvesting process. Clusters of ripened grapes are cut from the vine with clippers and gathered into crates. We are thankful for the workers that help at harvest time! Harvest grapes are transported from the vineyard to the pressing area. Crisp, sunny fall days are perfect for harvesting. After the harvest, there's time to rest and enjoy last year's bounty.
A carefully monitored winemaking process
White grapes are pressed to remove the juice from the skins and seeds. The resulting dry matter is called the cake. Red grapes are being dumped into the hopper of the crusher and de-stemmer before being poured into a fermenting tank. These carboys have just been filled with juice from freshly picked Seyval grapes. Bottled wine rests on shelves, ready for sale. Visitors come from all over New England (and farther afield) to taste our wines. Here, a group of cyclists enjoy a taste of a red varietal.
