Hand-Harvesting: The Key to Care and Quality
Careful handling of the grapes is one of the ways we ensure that we create clean and quality wines.
Hello, dear friends!
Hooray! This year’s harvest, crush, and fall wine release are on the books. Watching our vineyardists work with their crews to hand-harvest their exquisite grapes is a moving experience. High-quality wine starts in the vineyard.
A winemaker has a variety of choices when trying to achieve an elegant wine that is a pleasure to drink. When searching for grapes, I look for a knowledgeable viticulturist who employs sustainable practices that respect the land and the people caring for it. These practices lead to a vineyard with nutritious soil and flavorful fruit. Hand-harvesting is one of the practices I consider when deciding whether or not to purchase fruit from the grower.
Artistry: Hand harvesting embodies labor-intensive artistry integral to the winemaking tradition. Hand-harvesters delicately handle each grape cluster, minimizing damage and preserving the fruit’s integrity. This is crucial to creating premium wines.
Environmental: Mechanical harvesting is intense and invasive. This method uses huge equipment that damages the soil, disrupts the vines, and kills wildlife. Hand harvesting, in contrast, promotes sustainable practices that can protect the vineyard’s health and biodiversity.
Quality: Mechanical harvesting pulls sticks, leaves, unripe or over-ripe grapes, and even wildlife along with the grapes. This debris can end up fermenting with the grapes. When hand-harvesting, skilled laborers selectively choose only the ripest, healthiest grapes, ensuring that only the best fruit and no debris make it into the winery. This meticulous selection process is critical for premium wines, where the nuances of flavor, aroma, and texture are paramount.
As a boutique winery focused on very small lots, 100% of our grapes are hand-picked. This is our commitment to you. A winemaker can craft great wine with great grapes but cannot make great wine with average grapes or uncaring harvest practices.
Cheers to the vineyardists and their crews for cultivating their incredible grapes! You’ll taste that care in every wine we make. Try Eclipse, our newest release. Eclipse is our first red blend of Syrah grapes from Naches Heights AVA and Merlot grapes from Horse Heaven Hills AVA. It is delicious!
Cheers,
Christian
Every day is a drink-the-good-wine-day!
The tireless crew at the Clouds Vineyard carefully cut only the best grapes.
The Clouds Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills AVA produces some of the best grapes in Washington.
Wine dog Chelsea approves of the ripening of Pinot Noir grapes at the Barnes Vineyard in Chehalem Mountains AVA.
