Wait…what IS that? And should I be scared?

No…absolutely not! It is something we all look forward to and something to be thrilled about. It means our vines are healthy and doing what they need to in order to finish their jobs for the year.

To be very specific, Veraison is the process where grapes on the vine turn from green (yes…all grapes start out as green) to purple. It is when berries begin to transition from berry growth to berry ripening.

But what exactly does this mean for us in the winery, out in the vineyards and in the tasting room? Well…let me tell you you! It means that it is time for us to get really excited, start drinking our red bulls our preparing for some long, hard, but incredibly fun and rewarding days in the winery. It means that harvest is approaching and we need to start paying attention the the Brix levels of each variety so that we can start planning on when we might want to pick. It means that we can cut down on spraying in the vineyard because once veraison begins, the grapes protect themselves and molds and mildews stop growing. It means that we need to wash all the harvest machinery in the winery and get the tanks ready so that when the vines say “pick me,” we are totally ready to go.

In the tasting room, Veraison means that we can start dreaming about the new 2023 vintages that we will be able to taste and talk about in the coming months. We can also watch the beautiful hues of green to dark purple as the grapes continue to ripen on the vines. Paul Bush, Paul Nurry and Tim Wright become scarce in the tasting rooms because they are spending all their time in the winery. Douglas will be in the winery too, but only when Paul needs him, so you will still be able to find him over at Rucksack.

Come visit and check Veraison out for yourself. It is a beautiful and exciting time of year out here.