Point of the Bluff Winery / August 19, 2026
An update from the winemaker:
Harvest is getting closer and there’s a lot to be excited about!
Ever feel like a hamster running on a wheel? You’re going like mad, but question if you’re getting closer. I know that sounds very Debbie downer, but it isn’t meant to be. It’s completely normal this time of year until you see that light. I am yet to meet a winemaker that doesn’t have some level of intense anxiety this time of year. Your list is growing, never shrinking, as you get ready for harvest, and now each time it rains, we just clench our teeth.
In the vineyard, it is even more challenging at times, but the light is there. By now, leaves should be pulled, hedging done, growth slowing a touch and berries changing color and softening. Most of what’s left is making sure the grass is low, weeds are under control and that mildew doesn’t set in. Harvest is around the corner… I know, crazy right? Oh, but that anxiety winemakers feel is soooo intensified. One rogue storm and your years’ work can be decimated. The weather is always most hectic in that month leading up to harvest. When it rains, it pours, both figuratively and literally.
Winemaking Update
Run, run and run some more. I know most winemakers will say harvest is the most chaotic, but I wholeheartedly disagree. The month or so leading to harvest is absolutely the most chaotic. As long as we do well this month, harvest is just pure fun to me.
This month we have to make sure we have enough bottled to empty tanks, barrels are in place, yeast is in the house, fruit is all secured, equipment is tested and maintained, and the cellar is spotless. It is the grand version of what a chef calls Mis en Place, or everything in its place. A fine-tuned restaurant has everything laid out in the kitchen before the rush of service. A winery should be no different. As long as you can have everything together prior to harvest, your harvest should be calm and enjoyable with the ability to just pay attention to detail.
Some days I feel I am ahead of the curve and that we will be good and ready. Others I feel overwhelmed and lost. Par for the course really.
What is extremely exciting is that the wines we have to bottle to make room from 2025 are so spectacular. Honestly, there is no doubt this is the best lineup of wines I have made in 24 years of doing this. Am I just saying this to make me look good for you all? Well, that doesn’t hurt 😊, but it is the truth. Most years I have one or two wines that I feel are good, and I have made some great wines over the years, no question. But there is not a single variety from 2025 that I wouldn’t put up against my prior best Riesling, Chardonnay, Blaufrankisch, Cabernet Franc or Pinot Noir. I feel like it’s a convergence of passion, knowledge and luck.
Passion – It’s more than just MY passion. Really, I can count maybe four years out of 24 that I have questioned my passion for winemaking, and two of them were driven by luck, making it a rainy and miserable season. What separated this past year with Point of the Bluff is the passion I am surrounded by. Everyone wants everyone to succeed and has an unwavering quest for quality. That passion for what we do is infectious and can be tasted in the wines (as well as the produce from Glenn Scott Farms, food, service and accommodations at The Park Inn, and our concerts at Point of the Bluff).
Knowledge – Every year we should get smarter, whether it feels like it or not. We gain wisdom in all areas of our work and personal lives. We learn from our mistakes and accentuate our successes. This gives me a leg up. I am still relatively young and “hopefully” energetic but have a solid amount of experience under my belt. I was passionate and had luck with weather and surroundings in some other vintages, but in each of those years something else was missing, and for the most part it was knowledge. I was new to an area, new to winemaking, new to a variety, or whatever. Last year was my 6th vintage in the Finger Lakes and I feel I am just now starting to understand the region and its fruit and sites. This led to easily the best I have done with the passion and luck. It also means with some luck, future vintages will be even better (passion is already well in place).
Luck – Ok, this is primarily just weather. Some years you go into knowing there is no way the wines will stand up to some prior wines. For a couple of those, I still had a lot of fun splashing in puddles while working harvest, but the wines were more experimental and reactive. I knew I could make good wines but had to make different decisions and learn more about those situations. Adapting can make a couple superb wines, but seldom will it end with an entire portfolio of sublime wines. In 2025, we had no such issues. It was an incredible vintage that gave me all the fruit I wanted.
Vineyard Update
Our vineyards are all still in good shape, BUT, weather volatility can stop now. We did have a fairly good stretch from fruit set up to about three weeks ago when it was fairly dry and warm, but not overly hot. Humidity has been a bit of a challenge but nothing that can’t be overcome.
I have seen the first signs of downy mildew pressure out there on some sites, but not yet anything I am too concerned about. That said, if we remain warm, humid and wet then this could be one of the biggest challenges so far this year.
It seems a new annual question is about smoke. The real answer is the smoke we have had in the last years has had very minimal impact. The talk of smoke taint in wines is from fairly extreme smoke post-veraison. While I am sure many would argue with me about the intensity, because it sucks from a human standpoint, it hasn’t been intense enough to have much impact on flavors. That said, the smoke is also really only going to affect fruit flavor once we have entered veraison through harvest… which is now. The smoke has a hard time penetrating the hard berry skins earlier in the season.
As far as plant performance, it could be both good and bad. The smoke creates a challenge similar to clouds. Plants need sunlight for growth, so smoke has obvious effects there. That said, for the duration we have had, it is really like having an overcast period. The positive attribute is that smoke has increased levels of Co2 which plants also benefit from for growth. So, overall, smoke is a pain for us, but the smoke we have had is really insignificant for the vines.
The tasting room is hopping. Seeing all the smiling faces walking through the door is the reason we do what we do. This is also the month of our summer club shipment and what a beauty it is. Our club members will be the last to try our 2022 Cabernet Franc and the first to try one of our new single vineyard Chardonnays. Round that off with some Estate Riesling and Curtiss Riesling and it might be the perfect package. Wait, as an employee I am automatically in the club? I better go check now…
Cheers,
Jordan
