Harvest 2023 Update
Harvest 2023 has begun!
We harvested Pinot Noir from our Happy Valley vineyard August 31st, marking the beginning of Solvero’s traditional method sparkling wine program. The base wine for this Blanc de Noir is currently finishing primary fermentation in barrel in our beautiful new winery.
Today we’re bringing in Pinot Noir (Clone 115) for rosé from Golden Retreat vineyards; grown by the thoughtful and talented David Kozuki and his team. This is the first year we’re working with David’s fruit, and I couldn’t be more excited! I have had infinite respect for David’s vineyard since 2012, when I first worked for him. Located in the newly established Summerland Lakefront sub-GI, Pinot Noir from this site is remarkably distinct from our Garnet Valley vineyard in the Summerland Valleys sub-GI. Understanding and showcasing these differences is fascinating to us at Solvero, and I expect our veneration of unique Pinot will be shared by enthusiasts everywhere.
In the coming weeks we have Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from Golden Retreat to harvest, followed by our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Garnet Valley.
Budbreak in Garnet Valley tends to be at least a week later than the rest of Summerland. Adding in cooler nights and other viticultural factors, harvest out here tends to be several weeks later, so our 2023 harvest will likely stretch well into October.
For the rest of the season in the vineyard we will be focused on keeping the birds and bears away from our fruit, as well as preparing 2.5 acres for planting next year to Pinot Noir (Clone 943) and Chardonnay (Clone 1067). Upcoming posts will run through planting prep and clonal selection in more detail.
In the meantime, consider coming out to try our wine and see what we’re building! Tastings will either be on the crushpad or in the barrel room – depending on harvest days – and are conducted by myself or our winemaker Alison Moyes.
Matt Sartor
