Taking just 30 minutes to review the past harvest season can save time and resources prior to starting the next harvest. With that in mind, I strongly encourage everyone to do some post-harvest assessments. DGW members and clients can access a series of prompts through the Post-Harvest Preparation Checklist.
If you don’t have access to this checklist, and are not in the market for a winemaking consultant, at the very least, you can review your 2021 vintage and prepare for the 2022 year ahead. As we know, the year will fly by and before we know it, another vintage will be behind us.
That is why I release the Winemaking Goals and Ambitions Worksheet at the start of each calendar year with general, open access for everyone!
Set Yourself Up for Winemaking Success
Taking some time to document your winemaking goals may feel insignificant, but this practice can:
- visualize work for the upcoming season,
- help a winemaker identify opportunities for growth,
- focus on areas of need, and
- reflect upon successes to build upon in the next year.
Before you know it, pruning season will be long past, new green growth will be on the vines, and we’ll be counting down days to the start of harvest… probably rushing to get last year’s wines bottled.
It is easy to get far into the daily routine and forget to take some time and reflect. The reflection practice can help you identify what new wines you want to make in 2022 (and plan now!), what new practices you would like to try to complete in the cellar, and devote some time to those aspirations. After all, this is how winemakers improve year after year.
The 2022 Winemaking Ambitions Worksheet offers you a space to reflect upon and write down a review of the 2021 harvest season. It will also help you determine:
• What winemaking challenges you may have experienced last vintage? (Examples: logistical bottlenecks, lack of enough personnel help, insufficient yield without adequate wine storage, generation of hydrogen sulfide in multiple tanks of wine, etc.)
• What current trends interest you as a winemaker? (Examples: produce a pét-nat with estate fruit, create a red sparkling wine, analyzing YAN or other juice/wine components, minimal input winemaking, etc.)
• What goals you may have for the new vintage? (Examples: empty 60% of wines stored in tanks, integrate off-season production of a fruit wine or hard cider, learn how to blend red wines in barrel, improve barrel storage conditions, integrate tank temperature control, etc.)
At the end of the worksheet, you will find a series of “Next Steps” packed with suggestions. These resources can guide you in the right direction through the remainder of the year. There’s also a table designed to organize a wish list of items or winemaking equipment you would like to look into for the future.
Anyone can access and download the 2022 Winemaking Ambitions Worksheet, (below, or visit this page) a tool to assist you in organizing your year ahead.
Need Assistance in Turning Those Goals into Reality?
I love getting an opportunity to turn my clients’ goals into a reality for them.
If you know you want to start conquering your winemaking ambitions in 2022, inquire today about our membership and client options by emailing info@dgwinemaking.com.
You can also review current membership and client package options, here.
