AV News — Frontenac

The 2022 harvest has begun at Aubrey Vineyards in Overland Park, Kansas!  Being a winery in the Midwest means a hotter, shorter growing season requiring resilient grape varietals. At a winery near me, timing for harvest is crucial, and varies greatly from year to year. Grape varietals like the freshly-harvested Frontenac go from bud break to harvest in as little as 4 months! After being harvested and collected, the grapes are immediately cleaned and sent into a grape press. This machine gradually increases pressure until every last drop of juice is extracted from the fruit! .  Harvest season can last up to three...

The first grapes at Aubrey Vineyards for the vintage year 2020 have reached veraison. Veraison is a viticultural term meaning the “change of color of the grape berries”. As the grapes ripen, their colors change while hanging on the vine and their natural sugars and acids begin to develop. Pictured here are the Frontenac grapes changing from green to deep tones of purple. White grapes also go through veraison by ripening from green to translucent yellows or light greens. The bright aromas of rose petals and strawberries are followed by intense flavors of pomegranate and tart cherry with a rich sweetness that pleasantly sits...