Plan wine country trip according to season
Recently, I was asked, "When is the best time to visit wine country?" That really depends on what you want to see and do when you visit. Winemaking goes through a yearly cycle and there are different things that you will see as the year progresses.
January is the month that winter pruning begins. The traditional date to begin pruning is St. Vincent's Day, Jan. 22. The wine is racked off of its lees. The filtration process begins.
February is a time of continued pruning. At some wineries it is the time that cuttings are taken indoors and grafted onto root stock and placed in nursery to grow for a year before planting. The vineyard machinery is serviced and readied for the coming season. Some wines are being blended and stabilized. Filtration is performed on wines that need the process.
Pruning is finished in March. The fields are cleaned of debris. The soil is aerated and fertilizers are applied. The support trellises are checked for damage and repaired or replaced. Bottling is common in March for early ripening varietals.
April is the month that the nursery cuttings are planted. Excess soil is removed from the base of the vines (a process known as debuttage). The vine canes are tied to the trellis wires. Buds start to appear. Barrel samples are taken and analyses are preformed. It may be time to start malolactic fermentation at some wineries. Suckers are removed in May. This promotes the health of productive shoots. The shoots are tied to the wires. The vines are sprayed against mildew. Malolactic fermentation is begun in earnest. Wines are racked to remove sediment and some varietal have the lees stirred to promote creaminess and complexity.
The vines begin to flower in June. They are sprayed against insects. Wines are tested for sugar, acid and alcohol content. Blending is common. You will see some bottling.
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Summer pruning begins in July. Weeds are removed. Berries have appeared and thinning of clusters begins. Analysis and testing continues as does bottling.
August is a time to clean the machinery and ready the winery. Berries are getting big and start to develop color. The grapes are getting tasty and flavorful. Keeping birds away from the crops is a priority. Barrel samples are tested to see if the wines are right on track. Winery equipment is checked and prepared for harvest, crush and fermentation.
September is the time when the sugars of the grapes develop and testing starts. Harvest of early developing varietals begins. You most likely will see bottling of the previous vintage. (Bottling can occur throughout the year as the wines are ready.)
Harvest is the main event of the month of October. All hands are needed in the fields. The bottling of the previous vintage continues. Crushing and de-stemming is a main endeavor.
In November the soil is put back to the base of the vines to help insulate against frost. The fields are fertilized. Dead canes are removed. Crushing and de-stemming continue. The lots are tested for acid and sugars and initial thoughts on blending are developed.
December starts winter pruning. It is also a time to spend with family and friends and take a break from the fields. Wines are moved from fermenters to barrel or tanks to begin aging.
Remember, each varietal takes different cycles. Different vintages can bring about timing problems. The above is a pretty simplistic years' wine cycle. It will vary from winery to winery and year to year. One thing is for sure; no matter what time of the year you visit, there will be wines to taste. Most tasting rooms are open year round.
Not all wineries offer tours. Some require advanced reservations. When you want to visit wine country (no matter where it is) I would recommend that you plan a few months in advance. Get an itinerary started and make as many appointments as possible before you leave. Only schedule a two per day. Don't try to squeeze in more than will be enjoyable.
There is more to do in wine country than just visit wineries. Take your time and get to know the winery, the people and the wines.