Harvest 2013 – Day 6

October 10th, 2013 | Harvest

Evening deliveriesAfter five days of working at more or less full capacity we have finally reached our ‘mopping-up’ day – gathering in all the last parcels of grapes. I have not mentioned this before, but it goes without saying that we do not chose where to start picking our fruit at random, everything is carefully calculated, and our different locations are collected in a specific order to ensure that each one is picked at the optimum moment. Today we are working in the lower section of our ‘Pazo’ vineyard, and these will be the last grapes of the 2013 campaign.

Besides the obvious activity in the vineyard and the pressing room, there is also a lot of work going on behind the scenes, as the racking of the grape must continues on a day-by-day basis. This might sound quite simple, but at this time of year, whilst we still have a good deal of 2012 wine in the cellar, then towards the end of the harvest our spare tank capacity is very, very limited. Today I even suggested to someone that in case of emergency we might have to use their swimming pool as an overflow!

By early afternoon the last grapes were safely in the cellar, and within a couple of hours our presses finally fell silent (which comes as quite a relief as the incessant noise reverberates around almost the entire building). The total quantity of grapes processed in 2013 was only slightly below that of 2010, but this year’s work was completed in only 5 1/2 days as compared to 7 full days three years ago. A super-human effort by the whole Castro Martin team.

Taking advantage of a comparatively early night, time to go home, make a cup of tea, and sit with our feet up for a while……

Evening deliveriesAfter five days of working at more or less full capacity we have finally reached our ‘mopping-up’ day – gathering in all the last parcels of grapes. I have not mentioned this before, but it goes without saying that we do not chose where to start picking our fruit at random, everything is carefully calculated, and our different locations are collected in a specific order to ensure that each one is picked at the optimum moment. Today we are working in the lower section of our ‘Pazo’ vineyard, and these will be the last grapes of the 2013 campaign.

Besides the obvious activity in the vineyard and the pressing room, there is also a lot of work going on behind the scenes, as the racking of the grape must continues on a day-by-day basis. This might sound quite simple, but at this time of year, whilst we still have a good deal of 2012 wine in the cellar, then towards the end of the harvest our spare tank capacity is very, very limited. Today I even suggested to someone that in case of emergency we might have to use their swimming pool as an overflow!

By early afternoon the last grapes were safely in the cellar, and within a couple of hours our presses finally fell silent (which comes as quite a relief as the incessant noise reverberates around almost the entire building). The total quantity of grapes processed in 2013 was only slightly below that of 2010, but this year’s work was completed in only 5 1/2 days as compared to 7 full days three years ago. A super-human effort by the whole Castro Martin team.

Taking advantage of a comparatively early night, time to go home, make a cup of tea, and sit with our feet up for a while……

Monthly Archives

Categories

ARE YOU OF LEGAL AGE? This site is intended for those of legal drinking age. By entering, you confirm that you are of legal drinking age in the country where this site is being accessed. ¿ERES MAYOR DE EDAD? Este sitio está destinado a personas en edad legal para beber alcohol. Al ingresar, confirma que tiene la edad legal para beber en el país donde se accede a este sitio.