Quick Fall Harvest Update
We are working hard to prepare for the fall. The crop is looking to be of normal size. The heavy rainfall we’ve had out West has resulted in very nutrient-rich vines and exceptional skin quality. The California crop was on pace to be about 2 weeks behind this year, but some good weather has pushed that up a bit. Good news from the Lanza team, they have introduced a new box that will hold up better during transportation and the new design will allow for an increase in airflow!
The Washington State is also looking good. We expect it to harvest about 1-2 weeks earlier than last season. We have a new vineyard coming online from Washington. It is called Candy Mountain, one of Washington States’ newest AVA’s. The Candy Mountain vineyard is a south-facing slope that sits just southeast of the Red Mountain AVA. At nearly 900 acres, it’s also the smallest AVA in the state. With outstanding growing conditions, it is expected to produce rich fruit-forward grapes with nice minerality and tannins. We are excited to be bringing this new vineyard to market this season.
Unfortunately, as New Englanders are aware, New York and New England crops were hit with some frost this Spring. If you are interested in NY State juices, please contact Christina as soon as possible. There is little supply due to the frost damage.
We will have more updates coming soon regarding the fall.
2022 Harvest Menu and Announcements
I hope you’ve been enjoying your summers winemakers because the fall season will be upon us soon!
Have you started thinking about what you want to make this season? There are so many grapes and juices to choose from. Make a straight variety, make a blend, make multiple batches, we will have you covered this vintage!
The grapes are about 1-2 weeks behind last season. It feels like this season will harvest more in line with “normal years”. We will most likely have some early ripening grapes and winemaking juices arriving the week after Labor Day (September 5th). We have some new winemaking grapes and interesting vineyards being added to the MWG winemaking portfolio this season. Check out our 2022 Harvest Menu (link: harvest menu) to see what new and find your consistent favorites.
CROP OVERVIEW
Suisun Valley, CA:
We’ve started to see color changes in the Merlot, Barbera, and Petite Sirah. The Lanzas are currently walking the vineyards and doing bunch counts to get an accurate crop reading. It was a great growing season for Suisun Valley. It should be another vintage year.
Lodi, CA:
With veraison happening we are getting a clear outlook for what to expect this year in crop yields. Overall, the Lodi area has set a nice crop with estimates at or above last year’s tonnage. As you move east into the foothill vineyards, yields look to be much lighter due to the frost damage experienced back in February.
Central Valley, CA:
The berries are starting to show color in the Barbera, Zinfandel, and Merlot vineyards. Central Valley is almost always the first of the vineyards to harvest. If you are interested in CV fruit be prepared to make wine earlier in the season. We will have some new and interesting varieties from this region, such as Grenache Blanc, Fiano, Teroldego, and Touriga Nacional. Check out the Harvest Menu (link) for the full list of varieties from all vineyard regions.
Washington:
They are currently in the middle of lag phase. Washington should have crop estimations in the next week or so. The crop looks nice so far and they are about to get some hot days. As of right now they are predicting harvest will be about 2 weeks behind last year’s harvest. If you are interested in Washington fruit, plan to make wine in late October and/or early November.
What’s Available this Season?
Download our Harvest Menu to see everything that is offered this season. Please note that many vineyard specific grapes such as Lanza and Mettler do sell out. If there is a specific vineyard you want your grapes sourced from, we encourage you to put in a pre-order.
In Person Winemaking Classes
Making Consistently Flawless Wine Seminar with Daniel Pambianchi
Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to attend Daniel Pambianchi’s third seminar on advanced winemaking on September 10th, 2022, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, at Musto Wine Grape Company in Hartford, CT.
This third seminar will focus on advanced home winemaking techniques, including advanced analytical techniques for measuring and adjusting key quality control parameters, and to integrate these learnings in reviewing detailed protocols for making outstanding white, rose, and red wines and in different styles.
This seminar is intended for intermediate and advanced amateur and small-winery winemakers. Lunch and coffee are provided. Please alert Christina of any food allergies at cmusto@juicegrape.com.
SEMINAR FEES
Until August 10th – $275.00
August 11th to September 10th– $300.00
Please email Christina Musto at cmusto@juicegrape.com with any questions.
Winemaker Bootcamp
Our Winemaker’s Bootcamp is back! We will begin on Saturday September 11th. To sign up click here. Whether you are just starting out or have a few years under your belt, our Winemakers Bootcamp will enrich your winemaking skills while having a lot of fun along the way. The only hands-on winemaking bootcamp in the area; this course offers each student the opportunity of experiencing hands-on winemaking. In addition to making wines, the course will cover the science behind modern wine making and fermentation techniques including additives commonly used by commercial wineries throughout the wine making world. Classes will be about 3 hours each Saturday, starting at 9:00 am or 12:00PM (depending on the session you pick, total of 5 sessions), in the offices and winemaking showrooms of Musto Winegrape Co, 101 Reserve Road, Hartford, CT, 06114. If you have any questions, please email Christina at cmusto@juicegrape.com.
Virtual Winemaking Classes
Our Virtual Winemaking Classes are available year-round but in order to kick off harvest, we are running a flash sale for the month of August. For the month of August our Full Winemaking Course will be discounted from $397.00 for 46 videos (over 24 hours of content) to $297.00. That’s $100.00 off! And you have access to the videos forever. If you have any questions, please email cmusto@juicegrape.com.
How to Order
We are an old school company. Give us a call at 877-812-1137 or email us at sales@juicegrape.com to get the ball rolling on your pre-order. Don’t forget, we can create custom fermentation templates for you if you would like!
If you aren’t local to New England and need your product shipped, please email sales@juicegrape.com for a freight quote. We will be shipping out of our Bronx, NY location – D’Arrigo. If you live in the Metro NY area and are interested in a freight quote please reach out to sales@juicegrape.com
Unfortunately, we cannot ship fresh juice. We can ship our sterile juices, they ship year-round without refrigeration. This is the best option for home winemakers who cannot pick up the fresh product from MWG’s facilities.
If you have a large fresh product order (2,000lbs and up), please contact sales@juicegrape.com for a freight quote.
For more information regarding the Fall Harvest please feel free to contact us at sales@juicegrape.com  or give us a call at 877-812-1137. We are looking forward to helping you with your next great wine!
Sincerely,
The Musto Crush Crew
2020 Central Valley Grape Harvest Update {7/10/20}
We spoke with Joe from Cry Baby Vineyards this week and he said, “the 2020 harvest is off to a great start. We had good growing conditions throughout the year and veraison is happening in the Black Muscat and Teroldego vineyards. The crop is looking to be of normal to light size. This means well balanced berries for great winemaking results. We are projected to have some higher degree days in the coming weeks. Due to this, we are thinking harvest might be 1-2 weeks earlier than last year. The earliest ripening fruit should start coming off the vine around August 20th if the weather stays on this track.”
We at Musto Wine Grape will keep you updated as the California harvest develops!
Frank Musto’s Black Muscat Vineyard
Black Muscat Grapes going through Veraison
What is Veraison?
Veraison occurs when the berry transitions into the ripening stage. From now forward the berry will increase in sugar concentration until it is harvested at the desired brix level. Grapes for sparkling wine or champagne are harvested around 17 brix and grapes for still wine are harvested around 25 brix. The brix level will determine the alcohol level in the wine. For example, a grape picked around 25 brix should create a 12.5% alch by volume wine.
Teroldego going through Veraison
Interested in making Black Muscat or Teroldego?
Check out these blog posts below for more details!
Teroldego
Black Muscat
If you are interested in purchasing wine grapes or winemaking juices this fall please email sales@juicegrape.com or call 877-812-1137 for pricing and information. We are looking forward to speaking with you about your 2020 vintage!
2020 Lodi Wine Grape Harvest Update {7/9/20}
The 2020 Lodi Wine Grape harvest is starting to take shape. Crop timing is about 5 to 7 days ahead of last year, making it more of a “normal” crop year. The fruit set is looking average to light, but mostly average in size. This should produce good, well balanced berries for winemaking. Lodi has had ideal wine growing weather and is expected to have a great harvest this year.
Here’s a quick look at some of Lodi’s more popular varieties and when they might start to harvest:
Chardonnay
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 8/25/20
Pinot Grigio
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 8/21/20
Pinot Noir
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 8/28/20
Cabernet Sauvignon
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 9/5/20
Sauvignon Blanc
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 8/26/20
Merlot
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 9/4/20
Zinfandel
- Crop: Average
- Harvest Start Date: 9/4/20
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