There are certain opportunities that only come around once a year. One of these happens to be my favorite thing about the rapidly approaching fall, and that is to go and help our friends at Jerram Vineyard in New Hartford with the harvesting of the grapes. And so it was that my two friends and I made the trek from the city to the country. When we got there the harvesting was in full swing. We had to make concessions for brunch before heading out. Can't harvest on an empty stomach! Dan Jerram cheerfully greeted us (he is the First Selectman of New Hartford and one of the sons of Jim Jerram who owns the vineyard), we grabbed our clippers and headed out to the rows of vines.
Honestly, I have so much fun harvesting grapes that I have a very hard time calling it work. The smell of the grapes is incredible, the sun was warm and picking the grapes is satisfying. All you have to do is find a bunch of grapes and clip them from the top and then make sure that they drop down into the waiting bins. Oh wait there is a hard part! Two potential work hazards....bees and other eager harvesters nicking you with their clippers if you are both reaching for the same grapes. Other than that, most enjoyable.
The grape that we were picking was the Marechal Foch grape. It is a red wine grape that wasn't all that tasty to eat off the vine (yes we tried them!) but makes a fantastic wine. Luckily for us, we were able to literally taste the fruits of our labor at the end of the harvesting.
After all the grapes were picked for the day and our hands had been dyed purple, the grapes were all collected and taken to be crushed. I forgot how many grapes were picked that day, but I believe it was something quite incredible...like a ton. Literally. And each year the assistance of the volunteers is extremely appreciated by the Jerram Family, so if you want to get involved next year just check their website in September to find out what weekends they will be picking.
And finally it was time to pour the wine! We sampled the Marechal Foch, Nor'easter, Aurora and a few others and enjoyed the remainder of a beautiful day noshing on a delicious wheel of cheese, getting to know our fellow harvesters and learning more about the process of winemaking. I know the Jerrams are happy that this year's harvest has come to an end, but I had such a good time amongst the vines that it can't come around again fast enough for me!
Website: http://www.jerramwinery.com/
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