Winemaker {Continued from Page 12> and continue to about mid- October, depending on the sea son’s growing conditions. The harvester uses fiberglass rods that “slap” the vines. The picked berries are conveyed to a wood bin. The word is out on the best methods for harvesting. While Chien noted that growers have accepted this mechanical method, Elkner, Penn State horticulture agent, noted that some vineyard managers “don’t want any mechanical harvesting,” he said. Some believe it can directly affect the quality of the pressed grapes and the wine itself. The picking machine fills a bin, which holds about a ton of grapes. When full, the bins of grapes are immediately brought to the winery for processing, according to Nissley. They are removed from the wagon by a forklift, weighed, and then emptied into a device called the “crusher-destemmer,” which removes the stems and crushes the berries. From there they are transfered to the fermentation tank. After all the sugar is con verted to alcohol, the remaining skins are shoveled into the wine press and the last wine is squeezed out. The best wine called “free run" comes out first, before the wine press is activated. Some wineries separate this juice from the rest and market it as premium wine. After the doors lock in place, the fruit is pressed still further. The juice, collected in a stain less steel holding pan, is Apply compost and organic mulch to any row crop „ - automatically si* The rtnotile Mllkreek Roar Mulcher makes different shed mulch beds as you need, from 18" to 48" wide, from 1/2" to 10" deep A mulching program can help you produce a healthier crop while reducing pesticide requirements mm **'<01)11 Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505 1-800-31 l-n 23 www millcreekmfg com ‘Glories ’ Abound In Southeast Pennsylvania Vineyard pumped to storage tanks, where the wine is fermented. The leftover material, or pomace, is transported to a simple manure spreader. The materia] is spread at the viney ard. While the nutrient value is low, according to Elkner of the extension office, the organic material makes a good soil additive. Some of the material that set tles in the tanks, called lees, can be further processed using a complex Lees Filter. The material is pressed through the filtering system to obtain addi tional wine. For most wine, fermentation takes about 7-12 days. Smaller wineries use oak barrels. Niss ley uses many different grades and sizes of oak chips to aid in the flavoring process. During fermentation, a lot of carbon dioxide is released. Other grape juices can be added and mixed to get the appropri ate color, taste, and other wine qualities. The grapes go from 21 percent sugar with no alco hol to zero percent sugar and about 12.5 percent alcohol. The wine is filtered and bottled, capped (using plastic), and labeled. Some of the smaller wine ries, to age the wine, use barrels made of French oak, American oak (mostly from Missouri), or Yugoslavian oak, noted Chien. All provide a distinct, unique flavor. During the mid-October tour, Cabernet Franc, a dry red wine, was being pressed. The wine is bottled and sold at the Nissley tasting room or at From tree fruit to vegetable beds, from bramble crops to vineyards, organic mulch and compost can reduce chemical input for weed suppression, retain soil moisture, and improve soil fertility by adding organic matter to sandy and clay soils Now Millcreek eliminates the costly labor needed for organic mulch and compost application The remarkable new Millcreek Row Mulcher works with all types of organic material, and even lets you adjust the depth and width of the mulch rows Starting under $5OOO, no other machine compares when it comes to capabilities, versatility, and cost effectiveness Rugged construction Five sizes, from 34t0 13 cubic yard capacity Custom designs Call today for a free color brochure, or to discuss your specific needs Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 11, 1999—Page one of five different satellite locations in malls throughout southeast Pennsylvania. The store is open for customers and all wines can be taste tested. Regular, seasonal events are scheduled at the winery, including concerts on the grounds from early July through early September. The store is open year-round. Much of winemaking involves sanitation and clean ing up. It’s a vety messy pro cess with juice and skins every where, Chien noted. Nissley operates up to two dozen press cycles per day, or about 2,500 gallons of juice for wine. In a typical year, the winery processes about 40,000 gallons of juice. The winety uses milk storage tanks for the fermenta tion process. The process tanks for delivery to the crusher stemmer are customized stain less steel conching tanks from a chocolate factory in Scranton, noted Gulvin, the winemaker. The 1999 vintage could be the “vintage of the century,” said Gulvin, simply because of the drought. “It could be the best vintage I’ve ever had. “The crop estimates we have indicates this is the second largest Vidal crop coming off the vineyard,” Gulvin said. “The picking parameters are by far the best I’ve ever seen.” In a dry year, more sun cre ates more sugars in the crop. The ripening potential increases and disease pressure, because of dry conditions, drops. This was the first year the winery irrigated the vineyard, “We put down 3-4 inches of water in the month of July,” Gulvin said, using a big-gun broadcast irrigator. “Every thing perked right up.” Bird pest damage was small. Birds were absent or minimal, with no big “murmuralions” (clusters of blackbirds) to mar the grapevine quality. Japanese beetle control is critical to the vines. But with two summer droughts in a row, the vineyard provided ready control. The vineyard survived those droughts simply because grapes are suited to a dry cli mate and have a very extensive root system. Out of the 40,000 gallons come 15,000 cm - so cases of wine. And the sweet wines and native American wines “sign three out of four of my pay checks,” Gulvin said. “The most important thing you make in the winery is money,” he said. “If you’re not making money, you won’t be making wine for very long.” Some grape varieties you can grow but “you can’t farm them,” said Gulvin, for any marketable winemaking. The native American grapes provide an “order of magni tude” of different varieties that will grow well and be made into wine that appeal to consumers. Berks County Farm Market Map Available LEESPORT (Berks Co.) Penn State Cooperative Exten sion has published a compre hensive map of Berks County farm markets just in time for the fall harvest. This new fold- according to Gulvin. It’s the glory of winemaking in the East the native varieties available. The climate also is good for growing red-type grapes for wine overall. “Cabernet Franc appears to be the best overall for this climate,” said Gulvin. In November, Nissley was planning to release the Caber net Franc, a dry red wine, in bottles for the first time. Nissley’s also makes two types of cherry wines, apple wines, and raspberry. Gulvin said the company pays $9,000 a ton for fresh rasp berries to make into wine. Labor costs to harvest the rasp berries are high, which can affect bottle price. The price “works financially” for the company, Gulvin said. Some other favorite wines: Rose' white. Candlelight (a blush Rose'), and Naughty Marietta (a medium-boded red), popular semi-dry wines. But for the consumer, the fact is, taste is subjective which is why the winery offers free taste-testing. “There’s only one judge of taste,” said Gul vin: the consumer. A sweet, fruity wine on the dinner table, made and pack aged well those are the kinds of things southeast Pennsylva nia rural customers want, noted the winemaker. out map includes a harvest calendar and information about each individual market such as products available, market hours, and seasonal special events. The map was pro duced by contacting farmers throughout the county and re questing their partici pation in the project. There was no charge to farmers for a listing on the map. More than 65 farm markets are featured offering home-raised products from honey to wine, Christmas trees to pick-your-own straw berries, and free range poultry to prime beef. The map is just one of many efforts that Penn State Coopera tive Extension has spearheaded to sup port agriculture in Berks County. Exten sion Agents John Ber ry and Judy Schwank developed the map. Copies are available through the Reading and Berks County Visitor Bureau outlets or by contacting Penn State Cooperative Ex tension Berks County at (610) 378-1327. 193
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