DURANT, Okla. (KXII) — Mitchell Vines completed its Tempranillo grape harvest this season after triple-digit temperatures accelerated ripening and pushed the harvest timeline earlier than expected.
Owner Sammie Mitchell said heavy rainfall in June provided significant hydration to the crop before the heat set in.
“We had a lot of rain come through in June. And so that really hydrated the grapes,” Mitchell said.
The Mitchells invited local wineries to participate in the harvest. Wesley Johnson of Bois d’Arc Winery in Madill was among those picking.
“It’s pretty hot. Harvesting this early is harder, but the grapes change a lot faster when it’s this early,” Johnson said.
A group from Grayson College’s viticulture program also took part. Robin Bogue, who leads the college’s viticulture and enology program, said students will process the harvested grapes as part of their coursework.
“As soon as we leave we actually are set up to process where we’ll take all of the grapes that we just harvested and run them through a destemmer and then they’ll sit in the fermenter bins probably 10 days to two weeks and then we’ll barrel down and we’ll have it available for our students to work in their classes,” Bogue said.
Co-owner Reid Mitchell said the rapid climb in sugar content in the grapes came as a surprise this season.
“No matter what the condition is, they want to grow and they thrive,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell described the winemaking process as a craft requiring balance and skill.
“Winemakers are artisans and it’s a dance for them to take a product like this and get it balanced to make it into a finalized product that we all enjoy,” he said.
With harvest complete, Mitchell said the vineyard will now focus on preparing the vines for next year.
“We’re going to give them a good drink as a way to say thanks for what you did plants. And then we’re going to give them a shot of fertilizer next week,” Mitchell said.
