Note: This is a copy of a letter circulated on Aug. 30 by Henry of Pelham, one of Niagara’s premier wineries in St. Catharines, about the harvest that’s now fully underway in all appellations of Niagara. If predictions are correct here, we could be in for an even better vintage than 2007.
Hand picking of Pinot Noir grapes began this morning (Aug. 30) to mark the official
beginning of harvest at the vineyards of Henry of Pelham Family Estate
winery. This years’ start is almost 2 weeks earlier than normal due to the
fantastic conditions of the spring and summer. Another mild winter allowed
the vines to mature and produce a large and very high quality crop. “This
spring, early summer we realized we were in for a fantastic quality crop due to
the amazingly warm weather so we reduced our crop by hand thinning.†Said
Paul Speck, President of Henry of Pelham.
“We have had just the right amount of rain and lots on warm sunny days. The
grapes are sweet and in great shape. Sugars are very advanced and high†said
Matthew Speck, Viticulturalist at Henry of Pelham. “Harvest will continue
through October when we finish harvesting most of our reds.†Said Matthew.
“This looks like one of the best quality years ever, which is great since we
are bettering some of best like 2007! It reminds me of bench mark years like
1991, 1995, 1998 and 2002.†Said Paul.
The entire wine grape crop has been estimated at 65,000 tonnes which puts it
ahead of normal. The wines from 2010 will begin to appear in the market in
the spring of 2011.
Henry of Pelham is a family owned and operated winery which has won
numerous International and Domestic awards for its wines and the wines are
available across Canada and throughout the world.
Comment here