The 2014 harvest is finally underway! Our first fruit this year came from our vineyard in Cauquenes, as the both the tempranillo and petite sirah ripened ahead of the Aconcagua varieties. Last year, this new vineyard only produced a half-barrel of wine, so we are very excited to be getting the first commercial lots.
The countryside around our property has experienced an exodus over the past decades, as the younger generations have moved1 harvesting into the town of Cauquenes in search of jobs and schools (the local school only goes up to the sixth grade). Few families remain, and those that are there are not always on good terms. There must be something about having so few neighbors that intensifies the relationships and fosters resentment. For instance, the neighbor to the east won’t fix his fence, yet he lets his pigs run loose, which then get into the vineyard and trample the young vines. (What’s the saying about good fences and good neighbors?) Consequently, when it comes to larger jobs like harvesting, the call goes out to sisters and brothers-in-law and cousins, who can be counted on to pitch in. In our case, our vineyard caretaker put out the call to family members in Cauquenes, who came out on Thursday to pick the tempranillo and petite sirah. Even his father, Don Ismael, worked a full day, despite being well past the age of retirement. Maybe there is no retirement from farming .
1 on the vineThe weather was ideal for picking, with temperatures in the low to mid-20s C (low 70s F) and just a bit of a breeze. (The wind can really pick up in the afternoon, which can be less than pleasant.) Since the vines are still quite young, they weren’t carrying a lot of fruit. Our team of seven workers were able to pick it all in one day: 77 boxes of tempranillo and 68 boxes of petite sirah, for a total of about two tons. The fruit was transported by truck overnight to avoid the heat of the day, so it was quite cool when it arrived at the winery in the Aconcagua valley early the next morning. The trucking crew helped with crushing before heading back home to Cauquenes. The cool musts macerated for a couple of days before the fermentation got going, and they are now moving along nicely. Once they go dry, they will macerate before being pressed out.
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