Pinot noir grapes nearing full ripeness at Hidden Bench winery. I tasted one on August 18 and it was almost ripe.

I'd just come from a visit/tasting with Richie Roberts at nearby Fielding Estate in late August and I couldn't resist photographing (and trying) the pinot noir that grows right by the parking lot at Hidden Bench.

Back in May, Richie's first boss in Niagara, J.L. Groux at Stratus, told me that everything was running about two weeks ahead of normal. Roberts confirmed that everything is still two weeks ahead and he praised the season we've had this year - though he would not be drawn on a comparison to the previous warm summer, 2007. He did say "I wouldn't be surprised if the guys making sparkling start to pick in the next week or two."

Normal harvest time in Ont. is late September, but the makers of sparkling wine often like to pick a little early because they need extra acidity. While there will likely be a bigger crop of grapes this year, many of the wineries have nevertheless done a lot of "green harvesting" to reduce yields in order to keep the quality high. So don't expect Niagara's volumes to double and prices to drop.

Rain Update
The mid-September bout of heavy rain could spell trouble in the form of "swelling" the grapes with water, thereby causing loss of flavour concentration... a dry autumn/harvest period is best. Is there an anti-rain-dance?