Harvest & Holiday 2012 Newsletter
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In This Issue
Harvest Report
Harvest Open House
Upcoming Events
How Do We Know When Grapes Are Ripe?
Holiday Wine Orders
 
 
news
Harvest Report

 

After two cooler than normal vintages, the 2012 growing season was back on track with consistent warm weather and no heat spikes that cause the vine to shut down the ripening process. 
 
We began harvesting on September 14th, with Tempranillo, followed by Viognier on the 21st. We wound up on November 1 with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. There was a bit of rain but not anything that caused trouble in the vineyard. 
 
Overall, we think that 2012 will be a good vintage with full flavors, fruit and acids in balance and good tannins. We're excited to watch the progress of the wines on their way to the bottle. 
 
Compost is being spread and after that is completed the soil will be hilled up at the base of the vines to protect them over the winter.

 

foodie
Harvest Open House 

We enjoyed a perfect autumn day for our annual open house on September 29. 
Thanks to all of you who turned out. 
 
Everyone enjoyed a wealth of delicious food prepared by Tim Green, corporate chef for Wood Stone, the manufacturer of our wood-burning oven. The barbecue beef brisket, porchetta, wonderful roasted veggies, firecracker bread, and pizzas were marvelous with our Dineen Vineyards wines. Ann Huston and Roger Myers ably assisted Tim. 
 
We can't thank the chefs enough for their hard work. Tim wants to cook again next year so we will keep you posted. 
eventsUpcoming Events 
 
February 16-17
Red Wine and Chocolate
 
April 26-28

Spring Barrel Tasting


 

Thank You!

Finally, thanks to all of you for your support of our passion for wine during the year. We hope that you will be blessed with abundance, the joy of family and friends and the gift of love this holiday season.

 
Cheers! 
The Dineen family
Pat, Lanie, Marissa Dineen, Bridget Dineen Haba, and Nikki, our vineyard dog.
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greetings
Greetings!

 

The favorite time of year for a vineyard owner is harvest.  Seeing the fruit of one's labor gives a real sense of satisfaction. The next favorite time of year is when harvest is over!  With decisions of when to pick, the adrenalin rush of having a lot to do in a short time and keeping an eye on the weather, harvest is a very intense time and it feels good to slow down and take a deep breath after a month of hyperactivity. The grapes are crushed, fermented, pressed and the juice is in barrel. Now the vineyard can drop its golden leaves and go to sleep until the warmth of spring awakens it with the promise of a new vintage. 

cookin
How Do We Know When Grapes Are Ripe?

 

A grape growing text from the 1880s said that you know when the grapes are ripe because the birds are enjoying a banquet. That is probably true, but growers and winemakers like to have a bit more information before they arrive at their decisions to pick. Measuring sugars, acid and PH will help them make the call. 

 

From verasion, when the grapes begin to change color, sugars, acids and PH are recorded weekly to note the approach of ripeness and when to harvest the grapes for making wine. An instrument called a refractometer is used to measure the sugar content of grape juice. 

 

 

The percentage of sugar in grapes is known as Brix. As all sugar is converted to alcohol, the potential alcohol content of fermented grapes can also be determined. For Brix ranges at harvest can range from 21 for whites to 26 for reds.

 

Acids give crispness, brightness and thirst quenching to wines and are essential components of balance in fine wine. Grapes contain two major types of acid, malic and tartaric. Together they are referred to as total acid or tetratable acid. The optimum level for acid is from 5 to 9 grams per liter of juice. To determine tetratable acidity the grape juice is neutralized with an alkaline solution and the point of neutralization identified.

 

Hydrogen ion potential of PH refers to the strength of acidity in grapes. PH is a measure of how many hydrogen ions are combined as acids and how many are free floating. The more free-floating hydrogen ions there are, the lower PH and the more tart the juice tastes. A portable PH pen can be used tp assess grape ripeness.

 

When sugar comes closest to its ideal for a given grape variety at the same time the acid comes closest to the ideal, grapes are ready to harvest.

There are other tests for ripeness that cannot be measured in the lab. 

 

 

 

Ripe grapes pull away from the stem while unripe grapes will not. Grape berries soften as they ripen; the skin of fully ripe grapes collapses easily when bitten into and the pulp is thick but not watery. Fully mature grapes have brown seeds. If the seeds are beige or tan in color, but not brown, the grapes are not quite ripe.

 

The quality of the finished wine depends on fully ripe grapes. Grapes that are not fully ripe can give vegetal flavors to wine. One can see how important the decision of when to pick can be and where the advantage of wine being made in the vineyard comes from.

Wine Orders for the Holidays

 

 

If you are thinking of ordering wine for your holiday parties and family events, we will make every effort to ensure that you have it by the date of your event. You can do your part by ordering early, either through our website or by calling 206 276-4287

 

We can either ship your wine to you or you can pick it up at our home. 

 

We have the following wines available:

  • 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon: 1-5 bottles $35.00 6-12 bottles $32.00
  • 2009 Heritage Red Wine: 1-5 bottles $30.00
    6-12 bottles $27.00
  • 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum $85.00 

We also have some Dineen Vineyards logo t-shirts, hats and corkscrews for your wine lovers Christmas stocking".  All can be ordered through our website or by calling 206 276-4287. 

 
Dineen Vineyards
2980 Gilbert Road
Zillah, Washington 98953
dineenvineyards@hotmail.com