Monday, August 20, 2012

What a way to close out the summer! Grape harvesting always takes place during the hottest time of the year. Some vineyards, like our neighbors at Bending Branch Winery, get up in the very wee hours of the morning (think 3am) to harvest. Others, like Singing Water Vineyards, make it a community effort, involving friends meeting just before dawn to harvest with refreshments provided for all of their hard work.
      This year marks the first year we've been able to harvest our grapes. It's no secret that we have about 1,800 Tempranillo and Viognier vines here on the ranch. Chris, Dick Holmberg and some of the guys who keep the ranch looking pristine worked from the break of dawn until noon when harvesting the Tempranillio last month and the Viognier a couple of weeks ago. The Tempranillo, a native Spanish black grape used primarily to make full bodied red wines, is perfectly suited for our semi-arid Texas climes.
      Our good friends over at Singing Water Vineyards are bottling both harvests. The Tempranillo will go into a red blend, but the Viognier, about one and a quarter tons of grapes, will be a special batch of Riven Rock Ranch Vineyard wine under the Singing Water Vineyards label. We're very excited and can't wait to try both!

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