It's slow in the vineyard now, so the boys needed a project and did they ever find one. Dave and the guys from our winetasting group (the ones that got us started on this glorious wine adventure) decided we needed to have a pig roast.

So Dave got online and did some research. Then he and the guys did some planning. Then some building. Then some calling around because a whole pig already cleaned is not easy to find. And then Saturday, while Jeff and I worked the tasting room, they roasted the pig. With great ceremony. What a manly adventure!

Actually, the people coming to the tasting room often had to wander over to inspect the progress, although it was not a pretty day. I was glad to have an excuse to be inside!

But afterwards, when we had the feast with contributions from everybody and lots of wine, we all felt thoroughly satisfied. This is wine country living at its best. (You didn't know you could call it that in Kansas, did you?)

That's right, Toto. We weren't in Kansas anymore. And yet...

Once harvest was done at Grace Hill Winery, and all the wines were put to bed, we took a vacation. We went to France, where tradition reigns supreme in the vineyards. It was beautiful there, even if the weather didn't cooperate. (It was cool and misty, so the pictures don't do justice to the brilliant hillsides. It was not unpleasant.) They trellis differently, and their vineyard soil is very different in places, but vineyards still look like vineyards wherever they are.

Harvest was over there as well, and in Burgundy they are already starting to prune the vines. They burn the clippings right in the field, something I had read about but hadn't seen before. I had suggested it to Dave one cold day here, but he wasn't up for that.

We thought it was awfully early to be pruning, since we don't prune until spring. And a winemaker we talked to in Volnay agreed. He still thinks February is the proper month to prune. However, it was fun to see the over the row tractors in the tiny fields with stone walls all around. Fall is also wall repair season there, one chore we don't have.

We had a great time seeing the vineyards and trying the wines at the local cooperatives. It's different there, in that the wineries are generally in town, not adjacent to the vineyards like they are in this country. We found the people to be warm and helpful, in spite of our very limited French. I would go back in a heartbeat.

But we're home now, and are trying to get ready for the holidays here. We have lots of wine this year, and hope we have lots of chances to share it with friends, family and guests at the winery. Our hot spiced wine has been very popular so far, and the 2008 White Barrel Reserve is tasting really good right now. (The reds are good now too- don't think I'm not happy with them at the moment. I've just really enjoyed the white lately.)

The wines are available at the winery, which is now open Fridays as well as Saturdays, 1-5. They are also at Jacobs Liquor, ABC Discount Wine and Liquor and Groves Liquor stores in Wichita, as well as Newton Discount Liquor.

And if you didn't see our article in the November Splurge Magazine, look for it!

Grapes everywhere- it must be harvest time. I think I'm beginning to dream about grapes, but have been sleeping so soundly that I'm not sure.

Harvest continues in full swing. We have harvested 11,000 pounds of grapes so far, or so Dave tells me. It has gone quickly, and our harvest crews have been great! It does get a little overwhelming though, since we have significantly underestimated every crop so far. It's a good problem to have, but a logistical challenge.

We continue to have fun and interesting people coming out to help, in a full variety of ages. And people are having a good enough experience that they keep signing up for more. So that's good news! We really try to make it fun and rewarding for our guests/volunteer workers, and give them a feel for what goes into a glass of wine. I think they mostly enjoy hanging out in the country and snacking on the grapes.

The seyval and vignoles grapes are in, as are the chardonel. Next is traminette, which will be a challenge, because they aren't trellised as they should be. We did our best, based on the information available at the time, but when the extension viticulturalist came out in July he had some suggestions for improvement. So maybe next year they will be a little easier to harvest.

Then we'll start on the reds!

We have had a neighbor girl selling her home-grown produce at the winery this summer, giving us the feel of a very tiny farmer's market. Her stuff is great- I wish it sold better. But people make a beeline for the wine, and don't notice much else. I guess I shouldn't complain, since at least I get to enjoy the produce delivery.

We now have Shannon working in the tasting room, which is a huge help. And she seems to know everyone from Newton northward- she has amazing connections. I have no idea where she finds the time to come work for us, but I'm grateful.

Dave says the fermentation smells really good right now...

Harvest has begun!

We started the 2009 grape harvest on Saturday. The seyval were ready to go, and so were we. About 20 people came out to help, ranging in age from 7 months to 80 years old. And they all seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Dave had underestimated the amount of fruit we would be harvesting, and was worried we had too many people. But it worked out perfectly, as the crop was bigger than we planned, but so was the crew. We finished up right on schedule. And the fruit looked great! It was by far the best quality crop we have ever had. The grapes tasted so sweet and good. People were eating them right off the vine- something I encourage. You can't get anything fresher than that!

Our helpers also seemed to really hit it off with each other, and I overheard some pretty interesting conversations. We had a real variety of ages and backgrounds, but everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to be outside, working on a common goal, something tangibly fun- wine! Quite a few people were from Wichita, but we also had several from other surrounding communities.

And Jeff is back! He was such a help last year, that when we got the chance to hire him again we jumped at it. He also got a promotion from vineyard boy to director of marketing. I think it's a solid move for him and for the winery.

I hope the weeks ahead are as much a success as this was. Pray for good weather and protection from critters. We do have nets and a propane cannon (very loud) to keep the birds scared off, which helps a lot, but isn't perfect. They still get some fruit. Probably the deer and possums get a little as well.

If you know of anyone who wants to help in the weeks to come (most every Saturday from now until mid-September) have them send us an email! (info@gracehillwinery.com). And I'm having internet issues, so if you want to see the photos, check facebook.