Harvesting Grapes in New Hampshire

Each October my Wayback friends (yes, we go way back) and I get together and volunteer for the grape harvest at Barnett Hill Vineyard in Walpole, NH. I'm just in awe of what it takes to run a vineyard...planting, trellising, pruning, tying, harvesting etc, not to mention the winemaking parts about crushing, tasting, bottling, aging and selling.

So about five years ago, when the call came seeking volunteers to help pick grapes, we didn't need much convincing and it has become our annual fall ritual.

Nylon netting over the grapes protect them from birds and wild turkeys.
Netting is removed just before we start picking.

Tools of the trade:  1.  Five-gallon buckets turned upside down to sit on.
2. Small plastic garbage bins to collect rotten or diseased plant materials,
no debris is left behind as this will encourage the spread of diseases.
3.  Special grape harvesting knives

Volunteers set out to do the picking

Picking and chatting over the grape vines

Thirty one varieties of grapes are grown here but on this day we're picking La Crescent, a white varietal,
which will become a fruity dessert wine.

Then we have lunch of homemade soup, freshly baked bread and, of course, wine.
The spectacular views bring us back year after year.

Virginia Carter, front right, is the owner, with the Waybacks.

The shop and tasting room, worth a trip from anywhere.