By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief The 2009 harvest drew to a close at Shinn Estate Vineyards on Wednesday, ending what was surely the wildest, wackiest — and longest — growing season the winery has experienced on the North Fork. Wildest and wackiest because of the the cool, cloudy, wet start. Longest because they finished up a full 12 days later than they ever have before. A look at the final numbers might make you think that it was just another year on Oregon Road: Cabernet franc: 24-25 brix and 2.1 tons per acre Cabernet sauvignon: 23.2 brix and 1.5 tons per…
Posts Written OnNovember 13, 2009
Bees, B-Brite, Brix and Beer: What I Learned From My First Harvest
By Julia Burke, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent Now that the 2009 harvest is finally drawing to a close, I can power-wash my hiking boots, B-Brite the wine stains on my shirts, scrape the grape residue out from underneath my fingernails, and get ready to do it all over again as an intern in South Africa in two months (assuming all goes well with the infinite bureaucracy of the visa system). Compared to my fellow correspondents, I’m quite new to the wine industry and unqualified to analyze the technical nuances of this vintage. However, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned from…