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(a)northernbrewer.com