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Dear Winemakers and Brewers, August 4,2007
Welcome again to the Finger Lakes.
Fall will display spectacular colors, so don’t forget
your camera.
This is our 30th harvest. September of 1978 was the first
catalog, our first year in business for Fall Bright. 1979 was our first
anniversary and our second harvest. So this is our 29th anniversary and our 30th
harvest. - Gosh, it doesn't seem that long ago!! The baby in the grape box in
1978 (Corlin) is 29. She is an easy way to keep track. I won’t tell you how
old the older children (Tom and Megan) are! We have 5 grand children and another
one (Megan’s first) on the way.
Crop outlook: The grapes look good and we were thankful for
finally getting some rains in late June and July. We have put 2400 replacement
vines in the ground this year to conclude replanting the 2004 and 2005 vine
kill.
Gamay Beaujolais and Cabernet Sauvignon on Hyatt Hill and some of the more
tender clones of Pinot Noir on Dutch Street were a near total loss and will not
be replanted. Instead Tom has set Clones 113 & 115 of Pinot Noir in place of
the Gamay Beaujolais and Gamay Noir in place of the tender Pinot Noir clones
(Dutch St.) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Don’t despair! We still have a
block of the hardier clones of Pinot Noir above the shop to meet your needs!
The so-called Gamay Beaujolais is a clone of Pinot Noir.
Gamay Noir is a red vinifera hybrid of Pinot Noir and an ancient white
variety Gouais (Goo-wah). Gouais is a central European variety that was
probably introduced to northeastern France by the Romans (University of
California). It will be at least three years before the first crop of Gamay Noir
is harvested. We will continue to purchase Cabernet Sauvignon from quality
growers on better sites. We think there is great potential for Gamay Noir in the
Finger Lakes. Gamay Noir information:
http://iv.ucdavis.edu/Viticultural_Information/?usernumber=14&ds=351&i=1
http://iv.ucdavis.edu/files/24331.pdf
Please place your orders for Late Harvest Vignoles, else
Tom will think there is no demand and will not leave any grapes to ripen for a
late harvest even if weather is perfect!
During the harvest, we are open Tuesday thru Sunday, remember that we are
closed on Mondays. Luci is off and the men may be in the vineyard if you
drop by. The shop is open year round and we also have online shopping at
www.fallbright.com. NOTE: We check our emails to
winemaking@fallbright.com and online orders occasionally during the day at the
shop but it may not be a fast way to communicate mid-day. Please call
607-292-3995. If the line is busy, your call will be answered on the first ring
by voice mail; leave a message or call back.
When placing orders, make sure we have your phone numbers, emails,
deposit on whole grape orders (25%) but not on juice, and your pick up dates.
Please order grapes in 5 pound increments. We will make every
effort to contact you with a change of harvest dates and pick-up dates. Check
your answering machine and know whose number you have given us for contact! If
we have to hold your grape order, we usually recommend that you allow us
to crush into a container to hold for your pickup. We need to crush small
orders on the weekend, even if you have arrangements to pick up during the week.
We will try to have a normal harvest schedule and will keep you informed by
phone and online.
We hold our juices in cold storage, so you may combine multiple pick-ups in one
trip. At a conservative operating cost of $0.50 per mile this can be a
considerable savings when comparing prices. Bring an extra jug in case something
is early or extra. Please note the last pick up dates on some of the earlier
juices. We look forward to seeing you this fall.
May your wines fall bright! Tom and Marcy Mitchell
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