Grape harvest

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core.

From, Ode to Autumn
John Keats

These beautiful clusters of grapes hang off the arbor and fence along the front sidewalk. From the kitchen window I see people stopping and pointing (and sometimes tasting) as they walk by.  If they do they're sorry, because these look like supermarket green grapes but they are very sour.  The raccoons can judge the exact day when they turn perfectly ripe, so you have to beat them to it. 

These are White Concord table grapes on an incredibly vigorous vine I planted over 30 years ago. They have seeds, like all grapes did once upon a time.  Grape connoisseurs claim that seeded grapes have better flavor than the seedless.  I think this is also true with seedless watermelon, which tastes more like cucumber these days.

You can make drinkable wine out of table grapes like these, but don't expect rave reviews from your family and friends.  Wine grape varieties produce the sweetest and most potent grapes. They are smaller, even seedier, and have thicker skins and higher juice content.

Wine grapes are also delicate and difficult to transport. At harvest the trucks take them directly to the winery where they are crushed the same day they are picked. This is the most exciting time of year in wine country, when expectations are high for the new vintage.  (If you would like a detailed, expert description of the wine-making process, ask John.)

We've been on countless entertaining winery tours, which are all different and all exactly the same.  The basic process for making wine has not changed since 6000 BC.  I always perk up when we get to the tasting room and gift shop part.  I've snitched quite few expensive grapes from Napa vineyards when no one was looking, and they're soft and juicy with big bitter seeds and chewy skin.  One or two is enough--you wouldn't sit down and eat a bowl of them, which is good news to the vineyard owner.In the Napa Valley, each and every cluster is nurtured to perfection.

I just looked this up on Winebusiness.com, and yesterday prime Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from St. Helena vineyards were selling for $6,000 a ton.

Enjoy the last weekend of summer!

While table grapes could be used for learning how to make your own wine -- as a practice run, so to speak -- do not expect this wine to bring any enthusiastic raves from family, friends and neighbors. While the wine will be drinkable and may even be pleasant, it will not be stellar. - See more at: http://blog.eckraus.com/blog/wine-making-tricks-and-tips/table-grapes-vs-wine-grapes#sthash.PNYpKqJP.dpuf

able grapes could be used for learning how to make your own wine -- as a practice run, so to speak -- do not expect this wine to bring any enthusiastic raves from family, friends and neighbors. While the wine will be drinkable and may even be pleasant, it will not be stellar. - See more at: http://blog.eckraus.com/blog/wine-making-tricks-and-tips/table-grapes-vs-wine-grapes#sthash.PNYpKqJP.dpuf

While table grapes could be used for learning how to make your own wine -- as a practice run, so to speak -- do not expect this wine to bring any enthusiastic raves from family, friends and neighbors. While the wine will be drinkable and may even be pleasant, it will not be stellar. - See more at: http://blog.eckraus.com/blog/wine-making-tricks-and-tips/table-grapes-vs-wine-grapes#sthash.PNYpKqJP.dpuf

table grapes could be used for learning how to make your own wine -- as a practice run, so to speak -- do not expect this wine to bring any enthusiastic raves from family, friends and neighbors. While the wine will be drinkable and may even be pleasant, it will not be stellar. - See more at: http://blog.eckraus.com/blog/wine-making-tricks-and-tips/table-grapes-vs-wine-grapes#sthash.PNYpKqJP.dpuf

While table grapes could be used for learning how to make your own wine -- as a practice run, so to speak -- do not expect this wine to bring any enthusiastic raves from family, friends and neighbors. While the wine will be drinkable and may even be pleasant, it will not be stellar. - See more at: http://blog.eckraus.com/blog/wine-making-tricks-and-tips/table-grapes-vs-wine-grapes#sthash.PNYpKqJP.dpuf