Journal of a Harvest, Georis Winery, Carmel Valley 2007

Georis Grape Harvest
October 22, 2007
Carmel Valley, Cachagua
www.georiswine.com

Winemaking is one of Monterey County's biggest businesses. In 2006, Monterey County had 386,000 acres of grapes planted. Local vineyards produced 210,000 tons of grapes on over valued at nearly $218 mil. This does not include the millions generated by wine tourists, wine events, etc.

We all associate wine with luxury and glamor. But wine, like all agricultural products, starts with farming. Wine affectionatos often discuss soil and climate when they talk about wine, but unless one has spent a day in the vineyard those are abstract terms.

Our local vineyards today are facing several challenges: 1) rising fuel and energy costs 2) shortage of workers 3) greater competition from abroad 4) Changing climate, especially the lack of water.

On October 22, 2007, the winemaker for Georis Wines, Damien Georis, invited me to spend a day in the vineyard. This day, they were picking the Estate Merlot, which is Georis' signature wine.

Georis Harvest 01:



Damien Georis is the winemaker. Despite the same last name as the proprietors, Walter and Sylvia Georis, they are not related. Damien has his own signature wine, a cab franc, Madeline. (See www.madeleinewine.com). He is the master conductor of the day, determining which rows of grapes will be picked, if there were will a crush or if they will wait, who will do what, etc.

Georis Harvest 02:




Damien's right hand man is Israel. Israel has worked for Georis for many years. He goes about his work quietly. He knows it all by heart. Here, he is dumping a basket in a larger basket. He will then mount the tractor and and take the grapes back to the winery so that they can be crushed. Once picked, the grapes can only sit for about 24 hours before they are crushed, otherwise, they will start to ferment before they are put in the fermenting tanks.


Georis Harvest 03:




Many farmers in California are concerned about the impact of tighter immigration rules and higher fuel costs on their harvests. Most of the pickers are migrant laborers from south of the border. Winemakers, like Georis, are already seeing the difference.

On this day, Damien expected 12 pickers. Only 4 showed up. He put three of his own full time workers and himself out in the vineyards with the guest pickers. "Part of the problem", explained Damien, "is that we are clear out in Chachagua. With gas prices being so high, who wants to drive all the way out here to earn $7 an hour when they can go to a bigger, closer vineyard out in Salinas.?" He then explained that they would probably have to pay today's pickers more for their trouble. What Damien did not need to tell me is that this cost would be passed on to the consumers.

Georis Harvest 04:




The vines are covered in mesh netting to keep the birds from descending on the vineyard and eating the fruit. Without the nets, the vines would be cleared out within a very short period of time. These nets are expensive and only part of the Georis vineyards are protected. New nets will be added over time.

Another trick that Damien has tried is to put a bird house up in one of the vineyard trees. His hope is that an owl will nest there and frighten some of the other birds and animals that might be tempted to nibble on the vines or the grapes.

While you do not see any here, often, rose bushes are planted near the grapes. Roses are prone to about any pest that comes along. So rose bushes are early indicators of any potential insects that may harm the fruit.

Georis Harvest 05:




Pickers have to work fast and be careful not to leave any bunches hiding behind the leaves. On this day, Carmel Valley was warm. It was 80 degrees at the coast, which is very usual for the Monterey area. This means the Valley probably made it to the upper 90s. Picking grapes is tiring, hot work. It is hard on the on the back as well because pickers have to be bent over, looking for the fruit under the the leaves.


Georis Harvest 06:




The Merlot grapes are good this year, but the bunches are small. This is in part due to a lack of water. Georis practically dry farmed the grapes this year. The vineyard well is very low. They only have about 1/3 of a gal of water per vine. Other winemakers are using as much as 3-4 gals per vine.

Georis Harvest 07:




Georis is not an organic wine, but they do try to keep the use of chemicals to a minimum. Grape vines are like weeds. They are hardy, and usually winemakers want the vines to "struggle". This results in highly concentrated grapes. If vines are too productive, the grapes tend to be plentiful, but watery without a great deal of flavor. Some winemakers will thin out the vines after the first flower so that the vines can put their energy into producing less fruit but of much higher quality.


Georis Harvest 08:




Georis Harvest 09:



This is where I will leave the story for now. Check back later for the second part.