New York Cork Report

Long Island Bud Break

Channing Daughters Winery: 2008 Pinot Grigio Harvest

Last week, our resident photographer, Ellen Watson, visited Channing Daughters Winery to document the pinot grigio harvest. She got some great pictures:

Vineyard Visuals: Channing Daughters Winery (Labor Day Weekend)

From our resident photographer, Ellen Watson:

"I went by the vineyard on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. There is now wire fencing around all of the grapes that I have been documenting....heavy wire fencing that either needed to be opened up or crawled underneath. I did not want to do either one of these things without first speaking to Christopher or Allison. However, it was really busy with lots of weekend visitors and I did not want to bother the staff with my questions while they were busy selling wine! So, I left and emailed Allison about getting inside the fencing. She said it was ok to go inside, as long as I was very careful about it. I went back a few days later and crawled inside. No easy task with a tripod, camera, camera bag, etc. However, I managed it and am I glad I did.  All of the grapes look very luscious at this point. They are plump and juicy looking. The Pinot Grigio grapes are now the “root beer” color that I was told they would eventually be. Once again, it was a really stunning day when I was there. Every time I go to Channing Daughters, I am struck by the silence on the property. The property is really big, and it is far enough off the road, that the only real noise you can hear is the drone of a plane overhead once in a while."

Pictures after the jump

Vineyard Visuals: Channing Daughters Winery (Week 4)

Merlot: "These merlot grapes at Channing Daughters are still hanging in big, robust bunches. They remain green for the time being; I did not see any sign of color change. I love the abundant, cascading look of these grapes....." - Ellen Watson

Chardonnay: "The late afternoon sun shines on the back of the bunch of chardonnay grapes at Channing Daughters Vineyard.  The cluster which had previously seemed to be defying gravity, has now begun to hang downward.  These grapes are appearing more translucent; less dense. The green of the grapes has more yellow and lightness to it. " - Ellen Watson

Pinot Grigio: "I was told on my first visit to Channing Daughters that the pinot grigio grapes would eventually be a “root beer” color. Today, there is a slight hint of brownish red beginning to appear on some of the grapes. The grapes appear plump and lush; they don’t look as firm as they originally did. There are nets over these grapes now to keep the hungry birds away...." - Ellen Watson

Vineyard Visuals: Channing Daughters Clusters, Week 2

Merlot: "These hanging merlot grapes at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY, are picking up the light from the Sunday morning sun. The remnants of rain from the night before slowly evaporate or drip down to the soil below." - Ellen Watson

Chardonnay: "Basking in the morning sun, this cluster of chardonnay grapes at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY still appears to be defying gravity. I wonder about this bunch of grapes in particular; I am curious to see if at some point, it will begin to hang down towards the earth." - Ellen Watson

Pinot Grigio: "In the past 2 weeks, these pinot grigio grapes have begun to plump up at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY.  It appears there are fewer leaves around this bunch than before.  The grapes are robust looking and appear very fresh after a night of rain." - Ellen Watson

Vineyard Visuals: Channing Daughters Pinot Grigio, Week 1

From the photographer, Ellen Watson: "Nestled into the leaves on abundant vines, these pinot grigio grapes look like a lush, Dutch still life painting, at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY."

Vineyard Visuals: Channing Daughters Chardonnay, Week 1

From the photographer, Ellen Watson: "Appearing to defy gravity, these robust Chardonnay grapes are growing heartily at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY."

Vineyard Visuals: Channing Daughters Merlot, Week 1

As I mentioned last week, Ellen will be visiting Channing Daughters weekly to follow three bunches of three varieties (merlot, chardonnay and pinot grigio) throughout their lifecycle.

Instead of putting all three picture into a single post each week, I'm going to space them out a bit, starting with the merlot this week.

From Ellen: "An overflow of Merlot grapes, cascading off the vines on a summer afternoon, at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY."

Ellen Watson Points Her Camera at Channing Daughters Winery

You might remember that last year, Ellen Watson, the East Hampton photographer who serves as the resident photographer for LENNDEVOURS, took a series of pictures at Wolffer Estate Vineyard. In the series, she chronicled a two specific rows of chardonnay as they changed throughout the seasons. The series is available online.

This year, Ellen will be taking on a slightly different project for LENNDEVOURS at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton.

Rather than following the evolution of two rows, she'll be following the changes that three clusters of three different grape varieties make throughout the growing season. Specifically, she has identified a cluster of merlot, a cluster of pinot grigio and a cluster of chardonnay that she'll be photographing.

About the project, Ellen says:

"Similar to the Wolffer study of rows 18 & 19, this will be a study of one cluster of grapes over the growing season. Then, Christopher Tracy (the winemaker) came out to show me around, and suggested photographing three varieties of grapes, because as the grapes mature, their appearance gets quite different from each other. We chose merlot, pinot grigio and chardonnay.  At this point, the grapes are all very small and a yellow-green color.  Upon arrival, I was also happily reminded by the posted signs, that Channing Daughters is part of the Peconic Land Trust.

I went to Channing Daughters for my first visit on July 10th.  This day should go down in history as one of the loveliest Summer days ever. The temperature was in the mid-70’s, the sky was a perfect blue with gorgeous cirrus clouds and there was a breeze that was heavenly. It could not have been more perfect. In fact, I said to Chris that it would be a great day to lay down in the grass and take a nap! The day reminded me of being a kid and doing something carefree like that. There was a hush over the acres of vineyards; the only real sound I could make out was the breeze blowing thru the vines (you can see them blowing in some of the photos) and once in a while, the far away drone of a plane overhead. I could not even hear the traffic on the road.

Having arrived at Channing Daughters with the idea of shooting landscapes in mind, I did not have my macro lens with me for close-ups of the grape clusters. So, I decided to shoot the front of each of the rows that I will be documenting. These images are intended to give you a sense of place."

 

From left to right: merlot, pinot grigio and chardonnay

Vineyard Visuals: John @ Silver Springs Winery

This edition of Vineyard Visuals features John Zuccarino from Silver Springs Winery doing a little work in the vineyard. 

Vineyard Visuals: Late Spring at Raphael Vineyards

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Seasons (February 22)

Finally!

Resident photographer, Ellen Watson, and I have been complaining about Long Island's lack of snow for some time now...because we wanted some snowy shots of our little spot in Wolffer Estate's vineyard. This morning, she got the first snow shot:

"Blowing, blustery, wet and cold. Big trucks racing by behind me, throwing slush onto my vulnerable Subaru parked on the side of the road......finally some snow and our beloved Wolffer Estate as it looked blanketed in it....9:15 a.m." -- Ellen Watson

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Seasons (January 12)

It's been a little while since our resident photographer, Ellen Watson, sent a photo update of our little block of Wolffer Estate chardonnay. We've had a lot of dreary weather when Ellen was out that way, and as you can see, we still haven't had any snow that is sticking long.

There is something about vineyards this time of year that I find so appealing. I actually think I find them more attractive now than when they are lush and over-flowing with green and grapes. Maybe it's the fact that they are sleeping now, preparing to bring us great wines again next year.

As always, this picture has been added to our Flickr slideshow.   

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (November 19)

Our resident shutterfly, Ellen Watson sent me this stunning picture this afternoon with a note saying:

"Yesterday was a gorgeous day. It was bitter cold. I got to Wolffer and noticed that all of the leaves are off of the vines. The color of the vines is a red brown....the clouds and sky were spectacular....the ground was cold and damp as I lay on my belly. I prayed that I could hold the camera still as the wind blew over me @ 3:30 in the afternoon."

Ellen and I will continue this project through the winter as well, so I think we'll see some more great pictures.

As always, this picture has been added to our Flickr slideshow.   

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (November 11)

Fall is definitely upon us as you can see in the leaves of this picture, taken on November 11.

Ellen and I will continue this project through the winter as well, so I think we'll see some more great pictures.

As always, this picture has been added to our Flickr slideshow.   

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (October 31)

This shot was taken on Halloween by Ellen Watson our resident photographer. As you can see, the fruit is all gone and now the leaves are starting to change color.

As always, this picture has been added to our Flickr slideshow.   

Vineyard Visuals: Pinot Noir Grapes at Castello di Borghese

The title says it all...I just really liked this one.

Vineyard Visuals: Chardonnay at Fulkerson Winery

John Iszard from Fulkerson Winery in the Finger Lakes sent me this picture of ready-to-pick chardonnay grapes this morning.

"This vineyard is right off Beartown Road adjacent to the winery and Route 14. Harvest is in full swing and our yields are up tremendously, with many 80 degree days for the past several weeks, it looks like a great harvest so far."

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (September 1)

We continue keeping an eye on Wolffer Estate Vineyards with Ellen Watson, our resident photographer. As you can see, they've added netting to keep birds from eating the sweetening grapes. Does it work? Sometimes...and it's better than nothing I guess.

This picture was taken on September 1 at around 7:00 a.m. and has been added to the Flickr slideshow.

 

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (July 27)

We continue keeping an eye on Wolffer Estate Vineyards with Ellen Watson, our resident photographer.

This picture was taken on July 27 at around 5:00 p.m. and has been added to the Flickr slideshow.

Vineyards Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (July 22)

Last Ellen Watson, our resident photographer, sent me the latest shot in our series at Wolffer Estate.

This picture was taken on July 22 at around 7:25 p.m. and it has been added to the Flickr slideshow.

Vineyards Visuals: Chamomile at Shinn Estate Vineyards

Photo courtesy of Shinn Estate Vineyards

"I have attached a nice photo of the daisies that have been in full bloom in the sauvignon blanc for a few days now. They are from a native chamomile plant. We dry the flowers, brew a tea then do soil drenches with it as part of our biodynamic program. We did the same thing with the dandelion flowers from an earlier photo I sent you. You can see the winery in the background." -- David Page, Shinn Estate Vineyards

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (June 29)

This morning, Ellen Watson, LENNDEVOURS' resident photographer, sent me the latest shot in our series at Wolffer Estate.

This picture was taken on June 29 at around 2:30 p.m. and it has been added to the Flickr slideshow.

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season (June 10)

Tonight, Ellen Watson, our resident photographer, sent me the latest shot in our series at Wolffer Estate.

This picture was taken on June 10 at around 8:25 p.m. and it has been added to the Flickr slideshow.

 

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Growing Season

This is going to be fun. Ellen Watson, our resident photographer, has decided to visit and re-visit the same spot in Wolffer Estate's vineyard every few weeks throughout the growing season.

This picture was taken yesterday (June 3) and it's already remarkably different from the picture taken on May 20.

I've also started a Flickr slideshow, that eventually should be a pretty cool click-through.