Gearing Up

Harvest is breathing down our necks at the winery as our estate fruit increases in concentration and complexity each day. Activity at the winery has been intense as we assess our recently bottled wines and prepare the winery for an increase in capacity for the upcoming harvest. The winery is undergoing several structural changes. An increase in production has forced us to increase our tank capacity. We have recently received two 2500 gallon fermenters which will be perfect for our Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio lots. Still to come are two 4000 gallon open top fermenters. Although the open-top style fermenters are new to the winery, we are very excited to break the new tanks in during the 2008 harvest. The addition of new open-top tanks make it possible to produce a style of wine that closely mimics the great Bordeaux wines of France.

We have received the majority of our new French oak barrels fresh off the cargo ships from France. Our 2008 red wine program and our Chardonnay program will receive a mixture of French oak predominantly sourced from the forests of Allier, France and American oak from the Northeast. Our barrel program has complemented our wines very nicely.

During our blending seminars presented to our VIP guests, opinions from participants are seriously taken into consideration when constructing our final vintage blend. It is important that our style maintains consistent from year to year but feedback from guests and clients are important tools in catering our wine to our consumers.

Harvest begins typically in September. Donati Family Vineyard will gladly show our guests to safe viewing areas where the action of the 2008 Harvest can be viewed during normal business hours (11a.m.-5p.m.). Winegrape processing is an entertaining activity to watch and a chance to witness the hard work and passion that makes premium wine possible.