In The Vineyard

This picture shows verasion (change of color) in a zinfandel grape cluster.  We are running about 2 weeks behind schedule, due to the cooler weather this summer. Usually, the grapes have darker color by this time of year. Also, we are removing second crop, which if left on the vine, slows the ripening process on the primary clusters. We also do color thinning by removing greener fruit to insure uniform color and ripening of the clusters that are left on the vine. This picture was taken from a 90 year old vineyard in the Mokelumne River sub appellation of  Lodi.