Before I begin my first post, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Harry Parsley and I am the Executive VP of Procurement for MyWinesDirect.com. I have spent my career spanning 40 years in this fabulous industry. Chain retailer, winery president, grower, and vintner are just a few of the fun positions I have enjoyed or still do enjoy. As the “gate-keeper” for MyWinesDirect.com, I search for wines that represent great value and character and represent the quality and essence of it’s place of origin and appellation. On the average I will taste about two hundred wines from around the world each month in search of the little known jewels to add to our consumer panel tastings. These wines find their way to our site once they are selected as “winners” by folks just like you.
Now, for a little window into my world during Harvest in Napa Valley...
What a fabulous time of year, energy and action everywhere! Wine country is alive with excitement as harvest gets underway. The tractors aren’t dusting vineyards - they are pulling 3 bin harvest trailers, pickers are busy loading bins and the air is full of the perfume of harvest. Both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for sparkling wine are already in, crushed, fermented and being put to bottle for their second fermentation, aging and racking. White varietals for still wines are almost in and we are seeing some of the red varietals starting to be harvested.
I grow Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa at the base of Mount George [Howell Mountain Range] and we still have about 6-8 weeks to wait before we harvest. It is time to sample the vineyard so we walk down random rows of vines “blindly” picking a grape from the top, middle and bottom of a cluster. Walk ten feet or so and do the same on the opposite side of the row collecting 250 -300 berries in all. We do this with each varietal and in each block. We are checking sugars, acid, and PH, watching for the gentle changes in the vineyard that signal the time to pick. We drop fruit now to concentrate flavors and character. When you watch a cluster dropped, your eyes and heartstrings go Ker-ching!!
This year has been almost a perfect year in terms of weather with an early spring heat spike and then moderate summer temperatures. This allows for a longer hang time and relates to the flavor profile and increased color potential. Best of all, we are looking at a bountiful harvest of exceptional quality.
More to come in a few weeks…
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