Harvest  1999  October 9, 1999

No fruit picked yesterday or today, but we're planning for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.The 0.36 inches of rain this month still does not impact fruit, so things look great!

In the winery we are finishing the detailed preparations for harvest, trying to get a rhythm going in attending to tanks, making anaylses of pressed or destemmed fruit for minor adjustments to acid/pH and nutrient additions--some analysis done here, some FedEx'ed to labs in Baja Oregon (aka CA).

Yesterday was also a day to give harvest help a breather--the three Kiwis working at Chehalem from New Zealand wineries heading for Portland and shopping.

Columbia Sportswear, REI, GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch, and others were invaded. The job yesterday was to pick out Harvest Wear 99. We get everyone on the permanent crew serious logo wear to commemorate the vintage and show people back home. It also saves on clothes bills for us at home.

Today we sample the next blocks to be picked, to determine exact harvest timing. We walk the blocks, taste fruit, pull sample berries or whole clusters for pressing back in the lab and evaluation of sugar, pH, and total acid. The decision is usually made by balancing flavors with weather forecasts. We'll let you know what we find.

Harry