Just-harvested Corot Noir grapes

With such a wet and cooler-than-normal September, we've had a pretty soggy time harvesting the grapes.  We've brought in about half of the harvest so far, but the rain has not been kind. We are fortunate, however, to have a hardworking staff here, and three local grape growers who have provided us with several additional varietals to what we grow on our own vineyards, and also augmented the amount of grapes in the varieties we do grow.  Thanks goes out to Pine Hill Vineyards (Tim and Cheri Wolfe), Big Run Vineyards (Bruce England), and Nob Hill Vineyard of Clear Lake (Ron and Kay Kummer), who enable us to offer so many wines made from locally-grown fruit.

Eric, assistant winemaker, crushing Golden Muscat grapes

So far, the grapes are looking good, and we are quickly getting them crushed and fermentation started.  Some great news: the Traminette vines yielded more than 3 times the grapes as last year, so we should have lots more Traminette wine available in the spring. We are getting our apples from Stroh's Orchard again this year, and a big crop is expected. For those of you not fortunate enough to get to taste or buy our Autumn Classic apple wine earlier this year because it sold out so quickly, we hope to have much more, and are planning for a late fall release. And this harvest has given us plentiful Corot Noir, a somewhat new varietal that we will make into a wonderful dry red wine of the same name, to be released in 2012.

Pine Hill vineyard in Hamilton, IN

We still have a few more weeks of Crush left, so if you haven't made it in to witness this visual treat at the winery, now's the perfect time. We welcome guests back into the production area to see us at work, and will gladly let you taste the freshly-harvested grapes or just-pressed juice. The behind-the-scenes experience can give you a whole new appreciation for the wine you drink! We'll be posting lots more pictures on our Facebook page, so be sure to check it out.

Satek Winery will again be sampling wine at the annual RISE to the Occasion: Tastes, Sights, and Sounds of the Lakes this month. This extremely popular event, to be held Thursday, October 13th at Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park, offers attendees a unique sampling of the foods, arts, and music of the Steuben and DeKalb County lakes region. Tickets are $40 per person, which gives you unlimted access to sample foods from numerous local restaurants, wine tasting from Satek Winery and beer tasting from Mad Anthony's, a silent auction, live music, and displays from local artists. The event runs from 6:00-9:30 p.m.

All proceeds from RISE to the Occasion will benefit RISE, a local nonprofit organization that provides support programs to enhance daily life skills to increase independence and self-sufficiency in adults with disabilities. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (260) 665-9405.