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We’re just about a week away from harvesting our Chardonnay vines, and the fruit is looking great! Over the past few seasons, we’ve been intentionally pulling fewer leaves to let the grapes ripen gently, preserving their bright acidity and natural, fruity aromas. When the fruit gets too much sun, it can become overripe, with lower acidity and a sharp bitterness, but this year everything is right on track.
Harvest dates can shift from year to year, sometimes by a week, sometimes by as much as two. We don’t have a set schedule for picking; it's all about physiological ripeness and flavor profile, and a major factor that can advance or delay ripeness is the weather.
Even though we had a lot of rain and overcast early in the season, we have caught up to where we would usually be, ripeness-wise, compared to previous seasons. This is mostly due to the dry, warm days and cool nights we have been experiencing the past week in PA. Perfect ripening weather!
