4 replies to this topic

[Wade's Wines]

We picked over half of our Catawba grapes today to can for juice. I drink a small glass of grape juice every morning.
The Brix is low, about 15, but it tastes delicious! The birds were starting to get into them pretty heavy and the bees/wasps/yellow jackets and june beetles were happily munching along. It was a light crop following our Spring Freeze, so we decided to pick it for juice rather than net and spray again. At 15 Brix it's just right for drinking. We put up 5 gallons of juice in quart jars.

I sold about 50# of Catawba at the Auction Friday, 25# before that. We still have about 15 Catawba vines to pick, and we may pick it Monday to go to Auction, or if it hasn't split from our last rains may let it hang. There's probably another 5 gallons worth of juice hanging.

One of the considerations in harvesting at this Brix was the amount of splitting from our last rains. There was possibly about 1 or 2 split grapes in every large cluster of about 25 grapes. So if we didn't pick the bugs and spoilage would have moved right in. At this point they hadn't found the fresh splits. There was also the chance that this was just the beginning of the splitting and that half would be split by Monday... who knows. We'll see tomorrow with the ones we didn't pick today. We may pick them in the morning just to make the best of the situation... jelly and more juice. Last year we bottled Norton juice for drinking. Delicious!

Our other varieties of grapes are either pre-veraison or just into veraison, and no risk of splitting at this point of development.

We made Sparkling Cold Duck, half Catawba and half Traminette, from some of our 2011 harvest. It's very bubbly! Just bottled a month or so ago. Maybe the rest of the Catawba will get fermented for a future batch of Cold Duck.

[kakeeler]

I'm always impressed with everything you're doing and enjoy your posts!

[S Hofner]

With most of the Catawba done, it should help to lighten your load during harvest.

[Wade's Wines]

Yes, Scott, the load is lightened. Won't be that heavy a load any way, just a small Traminette crop, but heaviest yet on Chambourcin and Norton. Isabella may do okay too, but not a record crop. Thanks again for all your help bottling this year! I'll bring a bottle of Cold Duck to the TWINE meeting.

Thanks for the kind words Kakeeler!

[saramc]

I have never had Cold Duck, this will be a great meeting!!