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Sorting grapes to make wine
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As some wine writers and bloggers are focusing on Regional Wine Week, a local group gathered to make local wine. On Saturday, fourteen people showed up at Vint Hill Craft Winery in Vint Hill, Virginia to help sort local Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. The grapes had arrived a few days earlier and were placed in cold storage until Saturday. Using a forklift, the grapes in the bins were placed on a scale to weigh them. They were then taken into the winery and gently dumped on to the first of two sorting tables.
On the first sorting table, large MOG, materials other than grapes, were removed. The grapes then went to a destemmer. The stems were sent to a bin while the grapes went to another sorting table. At first it was easy to remove the jacks, a few stems and leaves. The Merlot berries were small and most were not split or crushed. The easy removing of MOG didn’t last long though. The people on the first sorting table began to speed up; the people on the second sorting table had to move from leisurely plucking out a few things to a much quicker pace.
While working the line, owner, Chris Pearmund brought the workers fresh Merlot juice. The taste of fresh juice made from wine grapes is much better than grape juice bought in grocery stores.
After sorting two tons of Merlot, one could feel their lower back start to complain. Then bin after bin of local Cabernet Franc was brought in to sort. Cab Franc is one of this author’s least favorite red wine grapes. After sampling a few of the berries, his opinion didn’t change. The berries were larger than the Merlot berries. By the time they were on the second sorting table, they were broken. This made the sorting a bit harder and stickier.
The experience was fun. It certainly gives an appreciation for the hard work that growers and winemakers go through to produce a bottle of wine. Not all wineries sort grapes. Two sorting tables are rare.
This is a great time of year to visit local wineries. There is a lot of activity that can be observed. At Vint Hill Craft Winery, a second floor gallery allows visitors to watch the proceedings below. At times, while sorting, there was a captive audience who appeared fascinated with the process.
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