Did you ever wonder where your grapes were from and how they were kept prior to your purchasing them? For those winemakers who have had the misfortune of receiving a leaf filled, mold covered case of grapes, that question is a certainty.
It is for this reason that we have dedicated a page of our site to explain Musto’s process for receiving and storing its grapes and juice.
The special care given to the grapes sourced by Musto starts in the field where, at harvest, the grapes are picked to yours and Musto’s specifications and for optimal quality. Having greater control over this part of the process helps us ensure grapes arrive in a state that is ideal for winemaking.
Once packed, the grapes are immediately palletized, pre-cooled and placed into a refrigerated environment. The cold chain will not be broken until you arrive to pick up this year’s grapes for winemaking. The turnaround time from field to cooler is less than 12 hours and from cooler to Musto in approximately five days. The grapes are shipped by refrigerated truck, loaded by the Musto’s own staff, straight to the Musto dock or direct to the customers.
During their travel and while on premises at Musto, the grapes will be maintained in an approximate 38-degree F environment.
Upon arrival at the Musto Wine Grape facility, the grapes go directly into our 20,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art cooler. With sufficient cooling space, we can ensure the freshest grapes at the time of pickup.