How do you decide when to harvest?

Greetings dear reader!

This time of the year, I get asked a lot of questions.  Some of those questions are easy to answer in a few short words, like String Theory in particle physics.  Other questions are a lot harder and sometimes require a little hands on tour.  So today, I would like to answer one of those more tricky questions by taking you on a little trip to the vineyard to answer, “How do you know when to harvest?”

Quick dissolve and then, lights up

You and I, dear reader, find ourselves in the middle of Whitestone’s estate vineyard.

“Cold” ask I?

“Yes*” responds the reader.

“You should read the footnote at the end of this email. Moving on.”

We are standing in between two long rows of vines.  Green leaves reach up towards the sky.  A streak of purple dots the middle of the green.  Tight clusters of berries hang from the vine with the promise of a harvest to come.  Reaching out, we both grab a few grapes from a cluster.  Here in the vineyard is where great wine gets made.  Cold nights and warm days bring a balance of acid and sugar to the fruit.  The artistry of winemaking comes from identifying the best time to pick the fruit when all aspects of the grape are in balance.

The taste buds of the winemaker are put to the test during this time of the year.  Tasting the grape, a winemaker must peel back and analyze the flavors and the potential of possibility the grape reveals.  Pick too soon, and the acid will strip the character from the fruit.  Pick too late, and a flat and flabby wine will be created. Taking the picked grapes, I pop them into my mouth. 

“What does it taste like?” Asks you, the dear reader.

I break the grape apart in my mouth.  Running it over my tongue and slowly grinding the skin beneath my teeth to extract the tannin.  Focus fills my face.

Your eyes widen and you, the reader, leans a little closer to me in anticipation to the description forthcoming. 

My eyes squint a little.  Lips purse.  A small smile slowly expands upon my face.  In a tone of the utmost seriousness I proclaim...”It tastes like a grape.”

459

Michael Haig

*You should have anticipated me transporting you to an outdoor location when you sat down to read this email. Because I never know where an email will take me, I always wear layers.