Harvest Pinot

It’s harvest time!  LEGO® Grower organised a hand-pick of pinot for the bubbles base this morning. Laying out empty picking bins last night, contractors swiftly and efficiently picking bunches, then picking up full bins of fruit, onto the truck, transporting to the winery.  Done!

LEGO® Grower’s main focus these days is to work out when to pick.  He's looking for the sweet spot: a balance of berry flavour, mouth feel, physiological ripeness and berry chemistry.  Every day, LEGO® Grower walks the rows of each variety he thinks is nearing ripeness. He tastes berries (flavour and mouth feel), squashes berries to look at pip colour – brown, not green - and the pulp consistency (physiological ripeness) and collects bunch samples randomly across each variety to assess acid and sugar levels (berry chemistry). Each bunch sample is crushed, juice extracted, and measured for brix (sugar) and pH (acid).  LEGO® Grower and the winemakers also taste the juice, thinking about flavours and mouth feel.

Lots of walking for LEGO® Grower at the moment, lots of coordinating with contractors for picking, lots of discussions with the winemakers around ripeness and picking dates.  Lots going on.  It’s harvest time!

Just think, one day you might be drinking the wine that LEGO® grower grew.