As summer draws to a close at Wetzel Estate, we are completing bottling to empty tanks and barrels in preparation for the upcoming vintage.
Harvest for Wetzel Estate, is around the corner, and with it comes ordering of fermentation supplies, including yeast, nutrients, enzymes, tannins and oak products. Mark is overseeing our master production spreadsheet.
In the cellar at Wetzel Estate, Nate and Rich are shifting their focus to maintenance and repair of the equipment that will be in use soon. This year that includes a new bladder for our second press, and a check for integrity of all the wine hoses. They will also be involved in emptying tanks of wine to barrel, to open capacity for the new vintage.
Joe, our harvest intern at Wetzel Estate, will be focused on general cellar sanitation and cleaning. Tanks, valves and gaskets all need to be inspected and sanitized prior to harvest. Presses, must pumps, and the destemmer must be cleaned and lubricated, and all areas related to production must be properly prepared and sanitized.
As we move into September, we will receive and process on and off-site fruit samples. Basic chemistry analyses will guide and determine picking times. Fruit will likely begin to arrive the second or third week of the month. Of course, everything becomes weather-dependent, and we will soon know if a four- or six-week harvest is in store for our team.
We hope you’ll find time to visit the winery during the excitement of harvest. Check our website at wetzelestate.com for details on this and other upcoming events. Come taste some freshly processed grape juice, the earliest phase as we begin the conversion to world-class wine.