Northern Vintners,
It's that time of year again. Northern Brewer
will once more be bringing in a truckload of fresh grapes for our local
customers. Our source in California reports that it has been a
slow-developing season, with the grapes projected for a late ripening
and harvest. Pricing is looking comparable to last year; we will be
offering grapes at the same rates. We are taking pre-orders through
early September, hopefully right up until our supplier tells me they
are going to ship! Get yours in at www.northernbrewer.com/winemaking/fresh-grapes or reserve at the retail store at 1150 Grand ave, St Paul.
The lineup this year is also going to be similar to last year, with
the addition of Pinot Noir. I think we can get our hands on some this
year. The list is:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Malbec
Merlot
Petit Syrah
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Old Vine Zin
The
Zin and the Pinot Noir will again be $50/lug. All else will be $45. The
grapes will come in 36 lb. plastic lugs. Crushing will again be
available at pickup, remember to bring your own
fermentation/transportation containers for your grapes! Based on the
information I have, I would expect to see this shipment in the last
half of September, maybe even first week of October if it stays cool
out there. The timing of this is always a bit tricky; this year, I
would simply advise you to be available throughout those periods if you
plan on ordering. The grapes will arrive when they arrive and we will
make certain to hold them across one weekend to make pickup as easy as
possible. Plan on having Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-4 of one weekend
to retrieve them.
As always, spread the word. The more we can put on the truck, the faster it will get to us!
Thank you
Ilya Soroka
ilya@northernbrewer.com