When I was at Tero Estates' Block Party last Saturday, I saw grapes undergoing veraison, the stage where the grapes start turning purple colored. As we walked through the vineyard blocks, we saw varying degrees of grape maturity. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc showed considerable purple, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec were mixed green and purple.

The onset of veraision is a signal that grape harvesting time is not far off. After a hot July and early August, with frequent temperatures over 100 degrees, highs have become more normal, in the eighties. This will help the grapes mature more evenly and steadily. Harvest is projected to being in warmer sites such as the Wahluke Slope as early as the first week of September. Vineyard managers and winemakers will want to prolong "hang time" as long as possible to maxmize flavors and phenols.

As an added note, the 2014 harvest officially began on August 19th, whenb the Champoux Vineyard on the Horse Heaven Hills delivered 1.6 tons of Marquette grapes (a hybrid developed for the extreme winters of Minnesota) to the Fidelitas Winery. (See greatnorthwestwine.com for an article.)

More later, stay tuned!