Crush at Reininger began the second week of September, and as of October 1st, we’re just about half-way done. “Intense” best describes our winery activities during harvest-time, and many liken it to a 60-day sprint from early September to early November. Overall, the fruit has been very high in quality as well as high in Brix.*
Chuck notes the ripening has been a bit hectic, with Syrah in some vineyards ripening before Merlot. But as we’ve learned over the past 18 years, adjusting quickly to change is the norm. Thus far, we’ve brought in 64.5 tons of fruit including Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Semillon.
Walla Walla Valley weather has been sunny and dry, with daytime temps in the 70’s, and night time temps dipping into the 50’s and 40’s. All in all, we are very happy with the fruit and the weather!
Cheers,
Ann & the gang at Reininger/Helix
*Here’s a brief refresher on Brix:
Named for A. F. W. Brix, a nineteenth-century German inventor, the Brix scale is a system used in the United States to measure the sugar content of grapes and wine. The Brix (sugar content) is determined by a Hydrometer, which indicates a liquid’s Specific Gravity (the density of a liquid in relation to that of pure water). Each degree Brix is equivalent to 1 gram of sugar per 100 grams of grape juice. The grapes for most Table Wines have a Brix reading of between 20¬? to 25¬? at harvest. About 55 to 60 percent of the sugar is converted into Alcohol. The estimated alcohol that a wine will produce (called potential alcohol) is estimated by multiplying the Brix reading by 0.55. Therefore,a 20¬? Brix will make a wine with about 11 percent alcohol.
Source: The Wine Lover’s Companion, by Ron Herbst & Sharon Tyler Herbst