One of my favorite grape varieties to work with is Albariño. Hailing from Spain and Portugal, Albariño is ideal for the Mid-Atlantic region for several reasons. Perhaps the best reason is that the name doesn't scare customers. How many Virginians still can't pronounce Viognier? Albariño however, is fun and exotic to pronounce. It's easy to grow; it has loose clusters that allow for air flow and spray penetration. It ripens relatively early; I've harvested it as early as the l

One of the all time great pairings in the world of winemaking is the fusion of oak barrels and Chardonnay. After whole cluster pressing the fruit I let the juice settle in tank at 50° F for (in this particular case) 34 hours. This temperature allows rapid settling and is cold enough to prevent spontaneous fermentation until I have a chance to rack (decant) it to barrel. 34 hours settling allowed for a sharp distinction between the clarified juice and the sediment at the botto

Beautiful fruit coming off the vine just before rain forecast the next day. I whole cluster press white grapes instead of sending it through the destemmer first. Bypass the setup, operation, and cleanup of the destemmer and enjoy larger press yields. The sacrifice is much lower throughput. However, you're likely at the winery all day anyway. I like to process immediately after harvest. The warmer juice settles better and absorbs less oxygen than from refrigerated fruit.

August means the last chance to bottle before harvest. Empty your tanks!