After a long couple of weeks pulling many late nights, Airfield Estates is back and ready to share the latest harvest happenings. Despite this years harvest being a bit later than last, Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers expects a record yield. This forecast appears no different for Airfield Estates, as things have shifted into high gear.
With all of the whites in except Riesling and Marsanne, the focus has shifted to the reds. Merlot hit the cellar today, proving to be as consistent as ever. Merlot is a Bordeaux variety. It is one of the most heavily planted varieties in the state of WA. Airfield’s block, planted in 1996, consistently produces top quality fruit offering flavors of currant, blackberry, and plum, with notes of clove and peppercorn. Winemaker Marcus Miller believes this years crop may just be the best yet. Listen below as Marcus discusses today’s events
Though a late harvest can raise nerves as season’s changes become a greater risk factor, there is tremendous potential as well as the fruit obtains better acidity and bolder color. Stay tuned for more harvest news and updates as the early mornings and late nights continue on here at Airfield Estates.
To make high quality wine, the grapes must be picked at the optimum time. However, determining when to pick the grapes is not always an easy task. Common indicators of ripeness are the grapes’ sugar levels (measured in Brix) and acid levels (measured in pH and TA). Other vineyard indicators are flavor development, color, soft berries, brown seeds, and a clean pedicel.
The following video clip shows Airfield Estates winemaker, Marcus Miller, testing for sugar and acid levels:
Based on the results of these tests in conjuction with his anaylsis in the vineyard, Marcus plans to harvest Chardonnay, Dolcetto, and Semillon this week.
We harvested the Tempranillo grapes on Friday, September 26th. A vineyard crew of approximately thirty people handpicked them in the early hours of the morning.
The grapes were then transported to the winery and loaded onto a sorting table to remove leaves and any unripe bunches. Then the grapes were de-stemmed and placed into small stainless-steel open fermenters.
Primary fermentation was initiated the following day when the grape must was innoculated with a select strain of yeast (BM45). Fermentation will occur over the next 8 to 10 days. During this time, punch-downs will be performed at least 3 times a day. This process helps enrich the color, flavor, and astringency of the wine.
Tempranillo is a wine grape that we have only been growing for a few years, but we believe that it has a lot of potential in the Yakima Valley. Tempranillo grapes tend to do well in a high desert environment where grapes experience warm days and cool nights and receive little precipitation. It makes a rather full-bodied red, high in tannins with fruit-forward flavors of plum and cherry mixed with earthy undertones.
The Tempranillo grape variety originated in Spain, and to this day it is one of Spain’s most popular red varieties. The word Tempranillo stems from the Spanish word temprano, which means early. Tempranillo is an early ripening grape. It is always one of the first grapes we harvest.
Because Tempranillo ripens early and is full of flavor, it is also one of the birds’ favorite varieties to peck. To prevent bird damage, we keep our entire Tempranillo vineyard under netting.
