Wine I'm Making: Harvest likely to be late in 2023

When wine grapes start to take on their mature color, they begin to ripen. Red wine grapes go from green to pink to whatever color they will end up being – anywhere from a pale red to a deep purple-black. The French call the start of the color change veraison. In my little backyard vineyard (34 vines – 21 Cabernet Sauvignon, four Cabernet Franc, and nine Sangiovese), veraison is usually in mid-July. In a normal year, the grapes have taken on their full color usually by the end of July or early August at the latest. This year, reflecting the very long, cool spring season we had, veraison is still not complete in the middle of September. I usually harvest the grapes in the last week of September in an early year, in the second week of October in a late year. This year I suspect the grapes may hang until early November. 

Miscellaneous: Strange dreams

Strange dreams: Recently I had a vivid dream in which I was playing American football, wearing a white jersey, in a large stadium. I say "playing" football, but actually I was a quarterback at practice, lobbing long passes to a receiver far down the field. 

The odd thing is, instead of a football, I was throwing large yellow lemons. They fit my hand perfectly. After a good catch, my receiver came running back to me and I explained how my hands are not that big and that I was never able to comfortably hold a regulation football with enough control to be a good passer, but the lemons were a perfect fit. 

It was odd to be throwing lemons like a football, but it was even odder that my receiver was Barbra Streisand.