Now that harvest is done, there is still a lot happening in the vineyards and cellar at Rucksack and Madrona.

All the grapes have been harvested from our vineyards at Madrona, Rucksack and our two Pleasant Valley properties…so what happens now?

Well…there is still a ton going on behind the scenes in the cellar. We are working hard with the juice, that all those grapes provided, to insure that all the 2023 vintages have a strong start to their processes of becoming wines. Some of these tasks include: pressing the wines to make sure we are getting all the juice and flavor out of each grape, pumping over the juice onto their skins to make sure all the color is extracted, adding yeast to begin fermentation along with some organic additives which act as vitamins for the wines. (Don’t we all need our vitamins)

Out in the vineyards we are irrigating, adding natural nutrients to the soils and providing the vines any care that they might require as they soak up the last bits of energy to strengthen and prepare themselves for their long winter slumber. Our hope now is for a long, cold winter where the vines can have uninterrupted sleep and store up energy for the spring.

There is always something going on and it usually involves planning and preparation for the upcoming seasons. Happy Fall everyone and we hope that your upcoming Holiday Season is wonderful and we look forward to seeing you at your next visit to Rucksack Cellars.