When I heard from Gretel Compton about verasion in the Clos des Amis South Mountain vineyard AND that the 2020 virtual Wine Media Conference wanted short introductory clips from attendees, I knew what I had to do: pack up the dog and my teen and head out there to film something!
Walk with me in the #rattlesnake vineyard to see #verasion! #PinotNoir #closdesamis #harvest2020 pic.twitter.com/B0Yu0vve7U
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) August 1, 2020
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Verasion is that brief moment in time when seemingly overnight those hard green grapes go purple!
Talkin brix and verasion in the clos des amis vineyard pic.twitter.com/oGdHvN9VkX
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) August 1, 2020
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The grapes begin to sweeten up, you measure the sugar levels known as brix and next thing you know you’re in the throes of harvest!
Clos des Amis Owner and winemaker Gretel Compton and I sample the 2017 Rattlesnake #PinotNoir while checking out #verasion #harvest2020 is coming quick! pic.twitter.com/xM9qA9W72Y
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) August 1, 2020
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In fact, tomorrow Sat. August 1 harvest begins in the Mitchell vineyard located in Saticoy on the eastern edge of Ventura. We will be picking chardonnay to go into the Chambang sparkling wine.
lots of changes in the air!
The video below is my brief introduction for the 2020 Wine Media Conference which was postponed to August 2021, and still in Eugene.
In its place will be a virtual conference complete with nightly tastings!
Another change will be that the conference is free as long as you sign up in advance; many sessions are hosted by friends and acquaintances from years of attending –I was at the very first one in 2008!
See videos by attendees here.
One session of particular interest is the one on vlogging– something I’ve long considered but with the help of my teen seems more viable especially since we live so close wineries and vineyards and I just broke my wrist making typing more challenging than overseeing video production with my talented teen. Otherwise this post would be longer with tasting notes and pairings! wrote it with one finger…
So expect a few changes in August and September. We have a series of posts drafted about Portuguese wine and pairings for next week I hope to be able to edit and publish as well as a post for tomorrow on rosato. In mid-August writing more about our trip to the Loire. Plus hopefully vlogs about harvest!
Note: yes I wrote about verasion here last July– near the end of each month since January 2019, at the end of each month I’ve been talking about my experiences in the vineyards and the cellar at Clos des Amis.Read more here
MARCH– BUD BREAK — and this post links to previous posts in the series.
CHEERS! HAPPY HARVEST!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 