Grape Harvest.

The grapes have been gathered and pressed.  The juice is in the barrels.  Kala krasia - good wine

This is our elderly neighbour's vineyard, one amongst many in this tiny fertile valley near us in the hills above Poros.  Loads of locals have a small plot of grapes here which will give them  juice to make wine for the family table through the year.

Vaso no longer takes part in the grape harvest but she does help to drink the wine.

The red grapes were harvested at the end of August.  Her son and daughter-in-law picked, trod and barelled the juice, 80 litres this year.

The red grapes were picked earlier than usual.

The white grapes were picked a few days ago, just before the cyclone hit.  The grapes this year didn't produce as much juice as other years but they have 140 kilos bubbling away and sold the rest to a thirsty neighbour who will make his own wine.

Here are the next generation treading the grapes.

This year's white was pressed entirely by foot.  Not once, but three times to get every last drop.  The red was trodden and then went through a press, once again two or three times.  

 

The red wine juice has already been tested.  All that is added to the barrel is a sprinkle of powder to kill the harmful bacteria. 

The percentage of alcohol should be around 12%

In other years I have taken a few litres of the juice which I boil down to make a thick syrup called petimezi.  This is used to make moustoukouloura, must-biscuits (cookies), 'must' being the juice before it turns into wine.

It is also made into a jelly like sweet called moustoulevria which I don't make because I don't like it.  It is slightly sour. 

The barrel of grape juice ferments for 2 or 3 weeks and your wine specialist will tell you when the fermentation is over and the barrel can be closed, if you don't have the experience, like Vaso, to know when it's ready.  Before closing though all the wine has to poured out into another, clean container, and all the gunk (residue) at the bottom has to be removed and the barrel cleaned again so the wine is not tainted.  The wine is then sealed inside the now clean barrel and left to mature.  We should be drinking this years harvest by Christmas though many will start drinking it long before then