Wine Grapes - U-Pick and Commercial Sales

At the end of 2009 at the Villa Dei Fiore Vineyard, the oldest vines are now in their 7th season, and they are maturing nicely.  The cloudy and damp weather this summer certainly had some impact on sugar levels, but we seem to have kept the grapes healthier than ever before.  Overall, we're happy to have the grapes in the tank, and we're looking forward to an ever-improving harvest next year.  Our big changes for next year will include some new Nebbiolo starting to come on line - second year vines carry only enough fruit to act as a throttle on runaway vine growth.  We'll also have about 1000# of Vidal Blanc from our new Vidal planting.  We can't wait to have this very versatile grape available for our own winemaking!

Our Dolcetto and Syrah reached veraison in the first week of August, which is about a week later than last year.  Veraison is the point at which the grapes start to accumulate sugar and color, and in the red varieties, it is distinguished by the first blush of pink in the fruit. Assuming good weather, harvest is generally 6-8 weeks after veraison.  We harvested the Dolcetto on 9/26, our Moscato, Syrah and Vidal Blanc on 10/10, and Sangiovese and Nebbiolo were last on 10/23. 

Click here to view the harvest analysis from the 2002, 2003,  2004, 2005,  2006 , 2007 and 2008 crops.

Two River Winegrowers sells grapes to commercial wineries and also makes some grapes available to home winemakers in a U-Pick format.  Our grapes are sourced from our vineyards at Villa Dei Fiore (Middletown) and the DiBlasi vineyard (Little Silver).  We can also pick them for you if necessary at a slightly higher price.  Prices for 2009 are $.75/lb for vinifera varieties, and $.65/lb for hybrids.  Add $.15/lb for us to pick.  Picking is by reservation only, and because we have strictly limited quantities, they will likely sell out prior to the picking date.   Please contact us early if you are interested.  We require a 10% deposit (nonrefundable) against the contracted amount.

If you place a deposit on grapes early in the season, we will be happy to discuss your winemaking needs, and adjust our cultural conditions accordingly.  Grape prices may be adjusted to reflect significant changes in vineyard techniques.

You are encouraged to bring your own buckets, baskets or lugs for picking.  5 gal. clean plastic pails work very well, and hold about 23# of grapes each.  We will have some available for your use if you don't have any.  A fee is charged for the picking buckets if you must take them with you.  For those who don't have their own crusher/destemmer equipment, we can operate one at the vineyard for custom crushing into your containers, free of charge.  Just bring your own containers (wide-mouthed, sanitized) for transport of the crushed grapes.  We will not be pressing on-site at the time of harvest, so prepare your own equipment for that.

If you have any questions, or you would like to reserve grapes, please contact us at 732-219-6560 or send us email.

Harvest Analysis for 2009

  Note:  We are consulting for the DiBlasi vineyard this year, but not directly managing their crop.  If you are interested in their fruit, please contact us and we will put you in touch with their vineyard manager.