I am happy to report that Cosecha (the harvest) has begun and while we are waiting for the big bad reds to finish ripening, the white wine grapes are coming off the vines. Harvest is also one of the favorite times of year for the Private Vineyard Owners to visit.
For PVOs interested in dirtying their fingernails in the vineyards, The Vines of Mendoza holds an annual wine camp over March and April. This experience will shatter any expectations we have about the romantic life of a winemaker. Wine camp is going to outline what is actually entailed in vinification (winemaking process), and that includes hard labor.
Depending on what stage of maturity or point of vinification the grapes are at wine camp activities can include picking, laboratory assessment, sorting, tasting wine from the barrel, and wine blending. During wine camp Private Vineyard Owners can also take part in seminars, designed to give a full understanding of the wine from the vine to your glass.
At wine camp, though, we do just enough work to learn and appreciate winery processes. While it is important for everyone to understand vinifiaction, we need to have some fun too. With this in mind, the day has been broken up with horseback riding, drinking local wines, and a long, lazy asado (Argentine BBQ), all set in full view of the Andes Mountains.
The seminars are divided into three intensive courses. The first is about understanding a finished wine. We learn what to expect from different grape varieties, about the grapes varieties of Mendoza, and how to describe wine like the pros do. Get ready to taste; while running this seminar for a group of four last week we used 100 glasses! Seminar two, takes an in-depth look at the grape components and what they contribute to the flavor and structure of wine. In seminar three we discover, step by step, the winemaking process, and all about possible wine faults.
Wine camp is a great way for the owners to feel at home in the vines, grow their wine knowledge and get to know the people that will be building their wines for years to come. If you are unable to join us this vintage, we hope to see you soon or for next years Vendimia Festival.
