We caught up with our vineyard manager, Nick Florip, to chat about how the 2024 growing season’s shaking out and peek at what the harvest might bring for our vineyards.
How has the 2024 season ended up?
“It isn’t over yet! Typically, September and October are the make or break months for grape growers in Northern Michigan. We hope for the weather to be warm and dry. In spring, we had heavy rainfall early which was great to get the vines going. The consistent rains were also great for establishing our new plantings after having two dry springs in a row. The rains did prove challenging for weed management though; the weeds outpaced our normal weed control methods.”
What are some harvest challenges you are anticipating this year?
“The biggest challenge is always keeping the fruit clean and intact for the duration of the harvest, as soon as the grapes become ripe it’s not just people that want them; deer, birds, animals and different insects want them too.”
How can you tell when the grapes are ready to harvest? 
“A lot of this depends on what kind of wine the fruit is destined for. Drew Perry, the Head of Winemaking, makes those decisions. We take samples of the same variety from multiple locations in a particular block and test the sugar levels with a refractometer.”
What does your harvest schedule look like?
“We generally start by harvesting fruit that goes into making bubbly wine, move to white wines and end by harvesting the grapes that go into red wine.”
Why do you utilize both hand-harvesting and machine harvesting?
“Machine harvesting can get the fruit to the winemaking team the fastest, there isn’t a delayed sit time once it comes off the vine. Hand-harvesting must be done on certain vineyards depending on how and where they are planted. We also make sure to never use the mechanical harvester on any vines that aren’t at least five years old.”
What does a typical day of harvest look like?
“It really depends on what we are harvesting and what the weather is like. If we know we are going to have a really hot day we might start harvest before the sun comes up, maybe around 4 AM. The grapes seem to be a bit more durable when they are colder so there is less impact from harvesting.”
What is your favorite part of harvest?
“Turning over the grapes to Drew and the winemaking team. At that point I’ve done all I can do.”
Interested in learning more about the vineyard?
Plan your next trip to Aurora Cellars and take a scenic self-guided tour through the vineyards before enjoying a tasting or a refreshing glass of wine on the patio. Self-guided tours are available during business hours and depend on trail accessibility- please contact us for more information.
