We choose the period from early September to early October, until the grapes have been harvested.
The Institute operates from 12 PM to 4:30 PM on Tuesdays, from 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturdays, and from 12 PM to 4 PM on Sundays.
Please remember to have your grapes ready for pressing at least 1.5 hours before the vineyard closes, as it may be even busier on longer days when Whites are in high demand.
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It is an exciting year of time. We are usually very happy, but we may look tired. Due to this, we may be a bit slower.
Be in good health, stay joyful, and make wine.
Note* – We prefer to not press out the red grapes and only destem and crush them. If you prefer, you can bring them later to be pressed. We do this because it makes a better wine when the skins are loosely fermented. This takes up a lot of time during busy days at home after they have been fermented. You can easily press them out by pouring them through a nylon bag and lightly squeezing them. Thank you for understanding.
If you are making white wine, you can simply press the juice out immediately, as white wines do not contain the essential flavors and tannins that red wines do. However, if you are making red wine, it is important to ferment the skins on the crushed grapes for 3-10 days, depending on the variety. Note that when making white wines, you will need presses to press out the white juice and destemmers and crushers to pick and crush your grapes. You should also have buckets and shears for picking.
It is not fair to not allow early customers to try picking, as it is not difficult. We also have reasonable limits to serve customers on a first come first serve basis. It is hard to stop once you start. Mainly because we don’t reserve poundage for customers, it would be impossible. For example, a customer may want 1,000 lbs of a particular variety. We don’t set a limit on what you can pick. It may not be a good idea to wait too long for grapes, as the demand may be high. Grapes are often best during a certain time in the season. The season for picking grapes can vary as much as 3 weeks, depending on when summer’s warmth and spring arrive. Please remember that nature plays a major role in determining when our grapes are ripe.
Nevertheless, on rare occasions, we might temporarily shut down a row in order to fulfill my commitment to a winery. Once visitors arrive at the vineyard, they are allowed to gather an unlimited quantity of grapes. As for that specific type, we will personally harvest the grapes for customers after the first three designated picking dates.
We charge customers $0.30 to pick grapes. As the size of the crop varies, we cannot control the occurrence of both natural and unnatural events, but we strive to maintain the best balance by doing everything within our control.
Process.
Harvesting our grapes is a simple and effortless task.
Resisting the irresistible can be challenging. To get your taste buds tingling, you can sample them. We’re here at the table ready to assist you! We’re also fine with you enjoying some in the vineyard as you pick. First, let us know which type of grapes you prefer.
2. We tell you what rows those grapes are in. We have a handy vineyard map which you can take with you.
How many pounds does it take to make a gallon of wine, and our signs will tell you how many pounds of grapes each size bucket will hold. We carry 6.5 and 5 gallon buckets, and 4 gallon buckets. You can select your buckets.
If your car has enough space, you have the option to return and fetch additional buckets. Alternatively, if your buckets are filled, you are welcome to continue picking to your satisfaction, and we will provide you with clippers.
You must securely tie up your vehicle! If you don’t want to spill juice, you can bring a glass container or carboy which can be tightly sealed. You want to bring them back to your open primary fermentor for whites, and for reds, note that you can carry them in your container. Soon, we will show you how to press them to start the fermentation process for white grapes, except for red grapes, where you have already completed the work of de-stemming the grapes by using the crusher de-stemmer, which crushes the grapes while removing the stems. Then, you can take your buckets to the press, except this time, you need to weigh them for us. You can bring your buckets to our scale to help us weigh them.
You can bring your aged crimson grapes back the following week to extract them at the winery.
Items you need to bring:
In your car, make sure to keep them in an upright position, but ensure that these main containers usually transport safely without any spills, typically using food-safe plastic for red wines, as primary fermentation vessels.
When you’re on your way home, you need to bring a container that you can plug in so that it doesn’t splash the juice wildly. Most customers bring their 6-1 gallon glass carboys for white wines. If the containers are sealable, you could also bring plastic containers. Just make sure to stabilize the containers so that you can have less fun picking the grapes and juice for the second time around.
You should especially bring sulfite tablets, nutrient yeast, and pectic enzyme if you have information on how to deal with high acid wines. Most people should use them.
In addition, we have a fairly good stock of commonly used equipment for winemaking, such as acid hydrometers, tubing, fermenters, primary carboys, locks, and sterilizers. We also have a good supply of yeast and other ingredients. Please don’t forget to let us know if you need anything above and beyond the usual.
We highly recommend them. For more information, call 608-257-0099 or visit www.Wineandhop.Com. Check out The Hop & Wine Shop, located just 15 miles north of Madison in St. Monroe 1919. They are a great shop that offers complete supplies for beermaking and winemaking. However, please note that they don’t carry a full range of supplies all the time.