Harvest Update: Sorting Pinot for the New Forge Cellars
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor
Get used to this image: sorting lines, rare in the Finger Lakes, will be making regular appearances as wineries deal with fruit that varies wildly in quality.
At the new Forge Cellars (a small project run by winemaker Justin Boyette, Rick Rainey, and Frenchman Louis Barruol from Gigondas), sorting will be a routine part of the operation. In this photo, Boyette inspects the fruit with the crew.
Rainey's comment is particularly telling: "See you in the wee hours," he said. "Luckily, we have beer!"
The commitment to sorting would benefit every winery that doesn't currently perform the practice. Rainey reported that the pinot, from a handful of Seneca Lake vineyards, varied from spotless to significantly affected by rot. But with rigorous sorting, only the best fruit makes it through.
That night ended around 2am or so. What I wanted to share is that over the 2 or 3 days (they run together) we have been sorting Pinot we have had various friends (new and old) and family members show up with beer, cookies, sandwiches and LOTS and LOTS of helping hands. In one case because of a really bad back we had to prop someone up on a chair but he wouldn’t leave until “it is done!”
Maybe their is something in the water in Hector I’m not really sure but it really was awe inspiring to say the least.
Thanks all,
Rick, Louis and Justin