And then there were three.  One by one, the harvest interns have been leaving the winery.  A sign that harvest is winding down, most everything is in barrel (well, aside from the white wines that are in tanks), and the winemaking team is now busy with conducting tasting trials and monitoring the wine.  It kind of feels like the cellar is shifting into hibernation mode just in time for winter.

Everything is quiet in the vineyard, with the last of the golden leaves hanging on some of the vines.  The weather has been a mix of clear and sunny days to the oncoming seasonal rains. 

While the winemaking team might be dreaming of sunny beaches and much needed vacation time, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Several news stories have generated preliminary buzz about the classic start and finish of this vintage - comparing 2008 to some of Oregon’s best vintages, including 1993 and 1999:

Oregon Harvest Report by Lisa Shara Hall/Winebusiness.com

We will be previewing the 2008 vintage at our Spring Barrel Tasting in March.  Stay tuned for event details.

Name:
Dan “the muffin man” Elliott

What’s your job title?
Cellar Worker.

How many harvests have you worked?
Five - in New York, Oregon, Washington, with the last two here at Adelsheim.

What’s your favorite wine grape variety to make?  To drink?
My favorite wine grape to drink is Nebbiolo, and my favorite grapes to winemake are Pinot noir and Syrah.

What’s your favorite thing about harvest?
The excitement of making something - as the fruit come in, the whole process of turning it into something new, working creatively with a blank palette and seeing all of the possibilities come about in the blending process - it’s really cool.

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you over harvest?
It’s all pretty darn funny.

When did you realize you wanted to get into winemaking?
I was drinking underage.  I was 19 and I had a bottle of wine and I wondered - how do you do this?  So, that fall I worked a harvest in a vineyard in Pennsylvania.

What is your favorite harvest bug?
Oenococcus enai.  Okay, that’s not really a bug.  But we refer to it as a malolactic bug.

What are you doing today?
Red pressing, primarily. 

Photo series:  Pinot noir going through the press

Today marked the final day of picking.  As a tradition established with last year’s harvest, the cellar crew headed outside to the half acre of about 500 Syrah vines in our Calkins Lane Vineyard, just on the periphery of the winery, to pick the final grapes of the season.

When picking ended, the crew circled the stacked bins and sampled the fruit.  It was a jovial moment of joking and tasting.  Winemaker Dave Paige noted the quality of the Syrah, already showing strong hints of characteristic flavors, including raspberry, Fuji apple, grape jelly and a subtle peppery, meaty quality. 

“It tastes really ripe, with good fruit flavors,” Paige commented.  “There’s a really interesting finish of a peppery herb - like arugula - that comes from the skins,” he added.

After a few more minutes of discussing the flavors and quality of the Syrah, Dave announced, “well, it ain’t gonna get crushed here!”

So, the cellar crew returned to the winery to receive the Syrah grapes and start the sorting process.

Prior to picking, the crew was treated to a fun harvest lunch.  Tasting Room Sales Associate, David “Dash” Ashmore, prepared Exquisitos.  According to Dash, Exquisitos are “Mexican hotdogs” wrapped in bacon and served at carts along the Tijuana border.  Dash fondly remembers crossing the border as a teenager to go to the bars with his compadres, and always stopping by the crowded Exquisitos stands on their way back for some late night sustenance.

Dash used the best ingredients he could find, including nitrate-free, organic hotdogs and bacon.  He prepared an assortment of fresh condiments, including cilantro, red onion, white onion, tomato, cheese and finely chopped jalapiño. 

Dash’s wife, Joanna Cowing, our Bookkeeper, prepared an alternative to the pork product lunch, an exquisite vegetarian chili.  Many Exquisitos were topped with Joanna’s chili for the ultimate chili dog.

The crew loaded up their plates and enjoyed this interesting harvest lunch.  ¡Viva Los Exquisitos!

Back to work!

Name:
Jenny Kneece.

What’s your job title?
Cellar Worker and Grower Relations.

How many harvests have you worked?
Two.  Both here at Adelsheim.

What’s your favorite wine grape variety to make?  To drink?
Pinot noir.  And Pinot noir.

What’s your favorite thing about harvest?
All the food!  I really love the Brussels sprouts, actually.  Come to think of it, we haven’t had any Brussels sprouts yet this year.  I hope someone will make Brussels sprouts.

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you over harvest?
It’s been a pretty calm year.  I haven’t even fallen once!

When did you realize you wanted to get into winemaking?
I was doing arborist work, which was pretty boring.  Harvest is such a rush - it’s addicting.

What is your favorite harvest bug?
Ladybugs are always cool.  But - we also have a cool harvest frog (okay, not a bug).  He hides out in the caves, mostly.

What are you doing today?
I’m barreling down the Olenik Vineyard Pinot noir. 

Photo series:  Jenny pumps wine from a bucket into the barrel.

Winemaker’s Update:
We are still waiting on the Syrah fruit to get picked.  We’ll take a look at it next week.  So far, the wines are tasting really good.  Our saving grace for this harvest has been the weather in October, which has prevented this from being a more challenging vintage.  Because of the delays this spring and going into summer, we could have been stuck picking in some pretty lousy weather.  It’s been gorgeous out.  This sunny, warm weather will be really good for the Syrah.

One of the really great things about harvest at Adelsheim is the practice of eating dinner together each night during the longest shifts, while fruit is still coming in and the cellar workers are pulling long hours of sorting fruit and starting the winemaking process.  Any Adelsheim staff person can sign up to cook dinner for the harvest crew - and most everybody cooks at least one dinner. 

This year, kitchen duty has been managed by Lizzie Adelsheim, who is also a part of the cellar crew this harvest.  Lizzie oversees providing snacks and provisions for meals for the harvest crew, as well as cooking up most of the dinners.

Vineyard manager Chad Vargas signed up to cook tonight’s meal, and while he worked his usual day job, his famous carnitas were in the oven - slow cookin’.   Chad’s recipe for harvest time carnitas were actually featured in The Vintner’s Kitchen - a beautiful cookbook featuring recipes of wine country personalities.  The book is available in our tasting room. 

So, back to Chad’s carnitas.  He uses mostly fresh ingredients that are in season (obviously, not the oranges below).  But, the tomatoes are still ripe and delicious here in Oregon.  A key “surprise” ingredient is Coca-Cola.

Pictured above, some of Chad’s ingredients; below, Chad in the kitchen

Chad’s carnitas pair especially well with our Willamette Valley Pinot noir - which really brings out the zesty, savory flavors of the slow-cooked pork.

CHAD’S HARVEST TIME CARNITAS

At this point, since most of the fruit has come through the door already, winemaker Dave Paige finds himself occupied with a most important step in his harvest workday - taking routine laps to see what’s going on and to ensure all things in the winery and cellar are running smoothly.

According to Dave, the main thing the crew is dealing with this week is that they are in that stage of harvest where they’re still bringing in fruit, still sorting and beginning fermentations, but they are now also pressing red grapes, which will also start going to barrel in the coming days, and they are racking the white wines off of the lees.  In short, this is that magical week of harvest when everything is going on at once!

Dave’s core team, including assistant winemaker Erik Kramer and cellar master Gina Hennen, also spend this time taking routine laps in the winery to walk through all stages of the winemaking.  It may take an hour to do a lap, perhaps longer, depending on where help or instruction is needed.

Both Dave and his core team are often engaged in on-the-job-training with interns.  This keeps the winery working more efficiently.

Here, Dave is overseeing red grape pressing.  At this point, they are emptying a tank while draining the remaining juice.  Interns Easton Richmond (left) and Brandon McCandless (far right) are raking the skins out with remaining juice.

Throughout the day, Pinot noir grapes will get loaded into the press for routine crush.

Here, Dave points out freshly pressed Pinot noir juice.  This will go into barrel within the next day.

Next, Dave heads up to grape receiving to take a look at the fruit currently coming in.

Here, pictured with cellar master Gina Hennen, Dave checks out the fruit that’s come in for the day, including Pinot noir from our Bryan Creek and Quarter Mile Lane estate vineyards, as well as purchased fruit from Zenith vineyard, and then clone 76 Chardonnay from Stoller Vineyard in Dundee.

When this lap concluded, Dave was heading back to his office to review analysis, after meeting with vineyard manager, Chad Vargas.  “It’s constant checking in,” he said, expecting to take another lap in the next hour or so.

Name:
Erik Kramer.  Or just “Kramer”.

What’s your job title?
Assistant Winemaker.

How many harvests have you worked (and where)?
Eight total - in Washington state, Hawkes Bay (New Zealand) and the Willamette Valley.

What’s your favorite wine grape variety to make?  To drink?
Pinot noir.  For both.

What’s your favorite thing about harvest?
(Long silence).  The chicken dance.  And anything zany that comes up when you pull long hours, long days.  It’s just a part of harvest.  Things can get zany.  But, especially the chicken dance, as it’s an Adelsheim harvest tradition and it also drives Gina crazy.  Which is fun.

What’s your favorite harvest bug?
I’m terrified of all bugs.

What are you doing today?
Making wine and listening to the chicken dance (as a modern, extended dance version of it plays from winemaker Dave Paige’s desktop).  I just survived an OSHA inspection and we passed with flying colors.  So, now it’s back to making wine.  Today, we’re pressing off the first Pinot noir lots that came in on the 29th.  We’re also expecting Pinot gris grapes to come in from Stoller Vineyard in Dundee.  We’re preparing for the onslaught of fruit coming in for the next five or six days, starting tomorrow. 

Cellar worker pressure spraying the grape receiving area, early morning

Bins of Pinot gris at white grape receiving

Sorting Pinot noir.

Winemaker’s update:
Our yields are surprisingly low, especially with the white grapes, but that is a Willamette Valley wide observation.  The quality is incredible, though.  We’re seeing very little botrytis (mold).  The grapes taste great.  As for the picking forecast, we’re seeing moisture pulled out of the air because of dew, which will allow for some drying from yesterday’s evening rain.  It’s less humid than yesterday, and the humdity will go down tomorrow, and then the next day.  The grapes will dry out faster in this weather because the dew pulls it out of the air.  This means concentrated sugars are up, even though the yields are low.  The flavors are good.  So far, so good.

We have 189.71 tons in so far, from estate fruit, which means we’re about half way through picking.  We still have about 181 tons still out in the vineyard.  We should be finished picking by Wednesday, or Thursday, if possible.

Winemaker Dave Paige punching down Pinot noir grapes

According to our Vineyard Manager & Viticulturist Chad Vargas, “challenging weather conditions call for innovative measures.”

Today, Chad hired a helicopter to hover over our Calkins Lane Vineyard at block 24 to prop wash the water off the clusters so that we can resume picking today during an opportune sky clearing.

According to Chad, we will also be picking more Pinot gris at Laurel Hood Vineyard in Newberg today.  Chad and his crew are pretty excited (and relieved!) for a brighter forecast in the next few days.  This is crucial to our picking schedule and in insuring we are able to bring in our grapes in their best condition possible.

“There is still a lot of work to be done in the vineyards and a short amount of time to accomplish it all,” Chad explains.  But the improved forecast should make a big difference.

The vineyard crew picking at Calkins Lane Vineyard.

 
Chad Vargas shows a Pinot gris cluster to David Adelsheim. 

Name: 
Gina Hennen

What’s your job title? 
Cellar Master.

How many harvests have you worked?
I’ve worked three harvests, the last two here at Adelsheim.

What’s your favorite grape variety to make (and drink)?
Syrah.

What’s your favorite thing about harvest?
Cleaning the drains (response accompanied by a good, sarcastic laugh).

When did you realize you wanted to get into winemaking?
After sitting ten hours a day in a cubicle staring at a computer.

What is your favorite harvest bug?
Earwigs - finding them crawling all over the place and on yourself.  Nice.

What are you doing today?
Well, right now I’m overseeing the Pulse Air System.  It’s one of two cap management techniques we use in the winery.  Pulsing sends a burst of air through the tank, which helps to mix the tanks.  We do this to add air in the early stages of fermentation.  We’ll also use punch downs during cold soak, as well as towards the end of alcoholic fermentation.

Winemaker’s update:
Today we brought in six press loads (about 30 tons) of fruit - mostly Pinot gris.  The grapes look really good, considering the rain.  Luckily, there’s been some intermittent sunshine.  There are a lot of fermentations going on throughout the winery.  It smells wonderful! 

Pinot gris grapes from Calkins Lane Vineyard

Pinot noir grapes in the new fermentation room

Pinot noir fermentation in 3-ton tank