Every year after harvest, we are blessed by an amazing show of fall colors in the valley. If we have received measurable early fall rains, there is a carpet of fine new grassy growth between the vines, highlighting the dramatic difference between the bright new growth in the vine rows and the declining yellow leaves on the vines; one aspect just starting its cycle, the other ending theirs. If an early frost should set in, instead of the natural progression of leaves turning deep green to light green to yellow to brown, the leaves wither crisp and brown overnight, looking as though they have been hit with a dreaded disease.
The colors and contrasts of the vineyards are subtle yet brilliant at the same time, highlighting the barren, brown hills from the vibrant row designations, and each varietal and row direction changing color at its own pace.
But in years like this one, where the Indian summer has graced us with warm days and cool evenings and no rain or frost for over a month, there is a miraculous array of colors around every bend. Everything is in dazzling hues, as though enhanced by Photoshop and color corrected by Mother Nature.
The shades of green to yellow and orange to red are so subtle that some leaves seem to be tinted with all four colors at once. And the deep purple hue of the second crop Cabernet Sauvignon is a striking contrast to the yellowing leaves of late fall. It paints the kind of image for the eye that, if you put it on canvas, critics would say “But it is too dazzling – it doesn’t look natural”.
The work has shifted now from the vineyards to the wineries, and the vineyard crews are applying the last soil amendments and fertilizers before the rains set it. Tractors and harvesting equipment have been stored away in the barns and shops. There is an odd quiet in the vineyards now, which only a month ago were the source bustling activity.
So remember to put a visit to Wine Country in November on your calendar for next year so you can sample the new wines from the barrel as you watch an old vintage transpire.
New England fall colors, eat your heart out!
