It's the most wonderful time of the year - Harvest!
This will be the 19th harvest for Love & Squalor/Portland Wine Company, but it's never "old hat" nor do I ever tire of it. It's a time of anticipation and excitement, adrenaline and experimentation and camaraderie.
I'm spending more time in our partner vineyards this time of year. Kicking down the dusty rows of Pinot and Riesling to judge how the grapes are growing. We can't wait to get our hands on them, but first we have wait and worry.
The 2024 growing season has been good overall. A bit dry and with more than a few heat spikes that had us concerned about sunburned grapes and reduced natural groundwater supplies. In the picture above you can see the grapes covered with a natural clay sunscreen that protects the skins from damage. The clay is 100% organic and doesn't affect our ability to have clean and fresh natural ferments.
The vineyard pictured is the newest we've added to our lineup. We are proud to announce that we have signed a lease on a Chehalem AVA site named La Cantera II. The name means "hilltop", and it is located on the crest of Rex Hill just north of Newberg. We can't wait to get our paws on the Pinot noir from LC2.
Happy Harvest to all of you. Thank you for your support of our craft winery. If you find yourself in our neck of the woods, stop in to smell the heady aromas of harvest and sip on some fruits of our labors.
Cheers,
Matt