We have picked all of the grapes in our vineyard and Scott has been very busy putting in long hours in the tank room.  The last variety, Vidal, was picked on Friday.  Scott pressed the Vidal that night and Saturday morning the girls and I were treated to chilled fresh Vidal grape juice which was perfectly sweet and oh so good!  

We have many different wines in the tanks this year. Since we purchase grapes and juice from within the Finger Lakes to supplement our own, we are limited to what is available for purchase.  Since the summer was very dry, the overall volume was low so we are dealing with smaller batches of wine and therefore we have purchased greater varieties.  We currently have our own Traminette, Valvin Muscat, Corot Noir, Noiret, Marechal Foch, Frontenac & Vidal, but have also purchased Iona, Riesling, additional Noiret & Traminette, Cabernet Franc, Steuben (which will be made into a Rosé dessert wine), Chardonnay and there are even more!   We would love to bring you a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, like we have made in the past, but we have been unable to source the grapes for an affordable price, so we deal primarily with hybrid grapes or native grapes which grow plentifully in this region.   

This will be a year of added firsts for us.  Scott has been experimenting with new yeasts and he is particularly excited about the Chardonnay which is brimming with tropical fruit flavors from the yeast variety used during fermentation.  Also, I have been told that the yeast which will be used for the Riesling will be shipped on dry ice and must be used immediately.  This delicate yeast will ferment in stages, some fermenting faster and other yeast strains taking over and fermenting slower, which should impart a depth of flavor that I am eager to sample!  We also purchased brand new wine barrels!  We have aged our wines in previously used barrels in the past, but it is exciting to see how much flavor these new medium toast barrels will add to the Cabernet Franc. 

For now, Scott and George are hard at work, but in the end it will all be worth it when you are able to uncork your favorite bottle of Deer Run wine at home and delight in the fruit of their labor.  

It has been a wonderfully busy summer for all of us here at Deer Run Winery.  So busy, in fact, I see I haven't written anything on my blog for 4 months!  This was our very first year hosting over a dozen weddings and we have truly enjoyed the nervous brides, the beautiful gowns, the parties, and the opportunity to see two people choose to begin their lives together here at Deer Run Winery.  We couldn't be more proud to be a part of such a special day for the couples! 
We are not done just yet!  We will host two more weddings in the upcoming weeks before we call it quits for the outdoor weddings this season.  Take a look at some of the highlights from the 2016 wedding season: