So last weekend I had the opportunity to help with the last bit of harvest at Gray Ghost Vineyards here in Virginia. Â I jumped at the chance to help out as the more time I spend on this website, the more I find I want to learn about the actual wine making processes, and harvest seemed like a good place to start.
Going with my parents and my wife, we arrived at Gray Ghost Vineyards around 6:30 am to get a little breakfast in us and for the staff at Gray Ghost to give us gloves and clippers and to show us how to pick the grapes.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your opinion, the weather was overcast and it did in fact rain on us slightly while picking. Â The advantage to this was that we were kept cool, of course we were also wet, so to each their own.
Getting started on the actual picking around 7-7:30, we finished around 11:30am. Â Around 80 volunteers managed to pick roughly 10 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Â While I was sore for a few days, it was absolutely worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
I’m looking forward to trying some of the wine that I helped pick next year, and if you try the 2010 vintage of Gray Ghost’s Cabernet I hope you’ll remember me. Â Below are a few pictures that my wife and I took during our day at the vineyard.
This sounds like such an amazing experience! How did you find out about this opportunity?
My parents are on their volunteer list as they live near the vineyard and are friends with the owners. If you live near a vineyard it’s worth asking if they take volunteers around harvest and getting your name on the list.
It’s hard work, but well worth it.