Premium wine grapes from top clones - Mouvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Petite Verdot, Merlot (clone is from Beaucastel), Tannat, Vermentino, Aglianico. Small vineyard, limited quantities, crop looks excellent. I live 12 miles north of Fredericksburg on HWY 16. Customers are winning awards with our grapes. Here's the skinny:

St. Nick's Farm grape harvest guidelines

1. Price is $1.25/lb. for non San Antonio Wine guild members, $1.10/lb. for members. Minimum 100# purchase please which will give you 6-7 gals. of wine for bottling. Bulk discounts available, please ask.

2. Use of a 1 HP, stainless steel crusher/de-stemmer is an additional 10 cents per pound. What takes a couple 4 hrs. to process we can do in 45 secs.. The hard rubber rollers have been adjusted to allow for no crushed seeds which can contribute to bitterness. There will still be a few "jacks" (stem remnants) which will need to be hand picked once you get home.

3. Please, no hand de-stemming of the grapes into the bucket in the field, the de-stemmer does a fine job of it. The stems left on the ground have no weight to them and we need to get you out and back home to make your wine ASAP. You are welcome to cull any bad grapes as you go but keep in mind after 12:00 a.m. that sun gets mighty hot. Culling is fine, waste of good grape clusters isnt. Advice - start early, finish early, have fun. Plan to harvest about 11# to 13# for one gallon of must. One vine will produce about 15# if all goes well with mother nature. We harvest anywhere between 21 and 26 brix but in the end mother nature rules.

4. I provide a few 4 wheeled gardening carts as a courtesy. Bring your own if you have it or harvest standing.

5. Tools - bring bypass or anvil hand pruners and a helper. Each of you can work one side of the row starting at one end finishing up until you've had your fill with all clusters removed in between. Sunscreen and ice water is recommended and dry ice if need be to chill the harvest. Many folks get by with a lid and a bungee cord strapped to a Brute garbage can and add some crushed dry ice to it before loading into their trucks. Your provision/addition of K meta (sulfite) and pectic enzyme is encouraged at the time of crush.

6. I provide a few 5 gal. buckets. Bring your own if you wish. I'll compensate for the bucket's weight. We'll weigh together and keep a record.

7. Check or cash is fine.

Thanks,
Mark and Nancy Nichols
DB St. Nick's Farm
830-685-3412