Harvest has begun!

It’s one of the most magical times of the year in the annual cycle of a winery: harvest has begun and the freshly picked grapes are beginning to stream into the winery.

It’s also one of the most challenging moments for any winemaker: what she or he does over the next days, as the grapes continue to arrive in the cellar, how she or he handles the fruit, and the decisions that she or he makes will determine the quality and style of the wines, which won’t be bottled — in some cases — for more than two and three years.

Every decision that is made is crucial and the winemaker must work under extreme stress. Making matters more difficult is the fact that harvest waits for no one: during harvest, Duchman Family Winery winemaker Dave Reilly often sleeps at the winery on a cot in the sorting room. He can’t afford to miss a minute of time as he examines, evaluates, and makes the choices that will affect the outcome of the 2012 harvest for the rest of its life.

The success of the harvest rests on his shoulders as he crafts the wines with his deft hand.

We’ll be checking in with Dave later this week to get his thoughts and impressions of this year’s crop.

Stay tuned!