The Last Harvest of the Southwestern French Grape
After a somewhat tough year due to frost and birds, winemakers Rick Tagg and Sharon Roeder headed out with some workers to pick the last of the grapes from the Petit Verdot vineyard on October 3, 2013. I went out to Barrel Oak Winery on a whim and because of the government shutdown. I’ve been barred from going into work or doing work for the National Cancer Institute until they reopen. So, instead of documenting cancer research and providing images for patient education materials, I was not using my talents. I decided to head out to Delaplane, VA and the wine-rich hills of Barrel Oak Winery and do something constructive with my camera.
In just a few minutes after my arrival, I ran into Rick who told me I was in luck, “This is the last day we’ll be harvesting. We’ll be in that field over there.”
That is pretty lucky since I was only expecting to get a few landscape shots before the light got too harsh. I wasn’t expecting to capture a harvest.
So, I walked down from the chateau area into field where the reddish-purple grapes were waiting to be picked and turned into wine. The sky and weather were … perfect.
This wonderful view is from the parking lot of Barrel Oak Winery.
Barrel Oak Winery’s harvesting bins spell “bow wow” because the owners love dogs and their winery is dog-friendly.
A worker inspects the next section of grapes he must harvest before doing so.
As I got ready to leave, Sharon said, “Next time you come out here, we’re giving you a pair of snippers!”
Maybe.