The 2014 harvest has started! Most of our grapes still need a little while bevor they are ripe enough for picking but some don't even have to become too sweet.
Grapes for juice are best picked while they are not fully ripe and sweet yet. Thus the juice will become fruity and refreshing. Well, the grapes are just right now and so we began to harvest this week. For making juice the grapes are immediately pressed after picking and it can be tasted fresh from the press (see photo). To keep it for a longer time the juice is then bottled at 70° C early the next day. This way fermentation cannot happen and the juice can be enjoyed for a long time.
Fresh and fruity young wines also don't need overly ripe grapes. Therefore we will pick our Junger Welschriesling next week as well. All the other grapes will then follow as their ripeness permits. This year it will take us at least last until mid to end of October. We will see and are looking forward to this year's harvest.