From vine to wine

Nestled among cornfields rich in Indian summer they wait.
But the harvest is near, and it won't be long until they are stomped!
The grapes of Whyte Horse Winery's vineyards, like grapes throughout history, await the harvest.

  And like vintners throughout history, Larry Pampel and his family anticipate the culmination of the season.

  "This will be a bountiful harvest," said Pampel, who co-owns the winery with his brother, Don, and their wives, Connie and Denise.
"The grapes are so heavy they are breaking the wires."

  It is these same grapes, grown in the White County vineyards of Whyte Horse Winery, that contestants will crush Saturday during "The Stomp" festivities.
"Grape stomping really came about as a celebration," Pampel said. "The real removing of the juice historically has been done with a press, but grape stomping is still done all over the world."

  Pampel said he grew a New York hybrid grape and a red table grape as test grapes this year, in addition to the winery's staple Traminette grape. As the sacrificial stomping grapes, the hybrid and the table grape will usher in the harvest, while the Traminettes will continue to ripen toward their destination as a semi-dry, white wine.

  "For us, this celebration is as much about giving thanks as anything," Pampel said. "Part of this vision of having a winery was looking at ways that we could bring our family together."

  With harvest time predicted as about two weeks away, four generations of Pampels prepare to reap the fruits of their labor.

  "When we harvest, there will be my 84-year-old father, myself, my wife, our kids, our grand kids, my brother, his wife and their kids," Pampel said, "with the youngest being age 7."

  Last year, the family harvested around Sept. 10. This year's harvest, though a few weeks later, promises a prolific crop.

  "The climate determines the harvest," Pampel said. "The ground was wetter this year, and we didn't have as many hot, hot days to concentrate the sugars as early.

  "I'm expecting a 50-60 percent increase in this harvest. Vines usually begin producing maximum fruit at four years. These vines are now four years old. We are very blessed.

  "Wine and the whole process should be an experience," Pampel said, "from the planting to the harvesting, to the serving and the pairing with food."
He and his family of self-described "farm kids" invite you to share the experience of fine wine and nature's bounty.