The Wine Cellar Chronicles
In the field
It’s official - harvest season has come to an end. The grapes are in. The bird nets are down and we can all take a deep breath. Inhale. Now, let it out.
Whew, I’m tired!
As we reviewed the season, Cam noted that the daily temperature shifts we experienced this year were similar to those of Napa or Sonoma.
The significant variation between daytime and nighttime temperatures helps maintain the natural acidity of the grapes. The dry weather results in smaller berries, which pack a bigger juicier punch.
Mother Nature – the festival may have been a little wet, but you did give us some really yummy grapes.Thank you!
In the Cellar
At this point, most of our red wines are still in primary fermentation. With cool temperatures, red wines such as our Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, are able to have a long fermentation, enriching both the color and flavor profile.
Our famed Pinot Noir is currently in the barrel. Among the first grapes to be picked, Pinot Noir is the first red to be strained off its skins. After separating the wine from the skins and seeds, the wine is put in barrels, where it undergoes a secondary fermentation, also known as malolactic fermentation, and picks up very subtle hints of oak. At Unionville Vineyards, we use neutral French oak barrels, which impart only the subtlest hint of wood. Pinot Noir is characterized by its lighter color and more delicate flavor profile, due to its relatively thin skins and high pulp-to-skin ratio.
Coming soon: Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Two savory recipes filled with all the fall favorites. They pair with Pinot Noir and make excellent Thanksgiving side dishes.
~Emily Rogalsky
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in Unionville Grapevine
The Best Wines are the Ones You Fight For
We picked from 5am that day until a little past midnight, almost 19 hours of harvesting. The pick was only interrupted for bathroom breaks, pizza, and eventually some beers to keep morale high. I think the high morale beer was Miller High Life, although the details are fuzzy and it would only have been selected ironically. It was the most tenacious day I can recall in the field here. We picked nearly 10 tons from three different vineyards, finishing with the Pheasant Hill Chardonnay. We saran wrapped the bins during transport and weighing back at the winery as Ophelia's first raindrops splashed down just after midnight.
Too Frigid For May: How Unionville Reacted to Destructive Frost
© 2025 Unionville Vineyards.
