Harvest 2014
"The "Big Dog's" Annual Harvest Report"


One of my very favorite seasons and time of the year is now upon us in California!

The 2014 harvest in beautiful Sonoma County and Napa Valley is currently in full swing!
With this years harvest being one of the earliest on record, coupled with the "shaky start" some of our winery friends experienced  due to Mother Nature's recent earthquake, this years beginning to the harvest season has been a bit unusual. However, as determined, passionate and industrious as grape growers and wine producers are, they took these unusual developments in stride, cleaned up after the earthquake and began to, like each and every year, begin their amazing work of harvesting some of the worlds greatest wine grapes.

Like my 2013 harvest report, I thought I would begin by giving you a brief overall summary of my thoughts of this years 2014 harvest. However, in addition to my harvest observations and opinions,
I thought it would be fun and hopefully entertaining and educational in this years report to include a  description and "feel" of what goes into an average day of work and vineyard activity during harvest season. So here we go....

2014 Initial Harvest Report

As I stated earlier, this years harvest is one of the earliest on record. In general, growers are reporting that this years harvest schedule is on average at least two weeks ahead of years past. In addition, growers had to deal with a hot, dry Summer in the vineyards this year that helped contribute to this years early harvest times.

However, at this initial stage of harvest I am very happy to report that most growers and winemakers I have talked to all confirmed that the quality of the 2014 fruit is excellent with yields looking to come in slightly above average but not to the big tonnage recorded in 2013.

While some vineyards are reporting slight signs of stress in some of their vines due to the dry conditions, grape quality, like the 2012 and 2013 vintages, is also expected to be  outstanding for this years harvest! This will give California three consecutive excellent grape quality harvests coming off the challenging 2010 and 2011 vintages.

On a personal note, after walking numerous vineyards and assisting with multiple vineyard harvests already this season, I can report that fruit quality looks excellent this year with healthy ripe grapes and outstanding flavors! I am very excited about the 2014 vintage and believe at this early stage it will be another wonderful and flavorful vintage in both Sonoma County and the Napa Valley!

A Day In the Life of Harvest Season

So now, as I previously discussed in this posting, I thought it might be fun and educational to briefly try and describe a few of the elements, environments and work that goes into an average day during harvest season for the grape grower. Trust me, it is not easy but as for me, I love being a small part of harvest season!!

Ok... a day in the life of harvest season for the grower and winemaker actually begins days before the specific harvest day. Sampling, testing and tasting the grapes to determine their current state of ripeness and projecting the optimum day and time to pick the vineyard so the grapes are at their maximum flavors.

After sampling and testing the fruit, consultations between the growers and winemakers determine a specific vineyards harvest schedule. However, not all vineyards, or even blocks or sections of a vineyard are the same so many blocks or sections may be scheduled on different days due to the levels of ripeness within each vineyard block.

Once a harvest date and time is set, coordination with the winery on grape deliveries is accomplished, picking crews are scheduled and equipment such as tractors, grape bins, vineyard lighting, delivery trucks and more are "prepositioned" for the early morning pick to begin. So as you can see, there are actually days of work and planning that go into and are executed BEFORE each and every single day in the life of harvest season grape picking!

Today, many of California's finest grape growers and winemakers insist on harvesting their grapes during the cooler early morning hours. The cooler weather conditions are much better for the grapes and helps bring them to the winery at their maximum point of ripeness and flavor.

This means most picking times begin around 3:00am or so! Consequently, the early morning darkness can bring another element and challenge to an already demanding job.

Harvest can be a physically demanding, mentally stressful, and a very intense and dynamic time!
Many vineyards can ripen and be ready to pick at close to the same day and time. Which means growers, winery staff and picking crews may have to operate on limited rest and "down time" for days at a time in order to harvest and process the fruit at it's peak of readiness. In addition, during these "night picks" vineyards can be filled with crews of pickers, moving tractors in close proximity, grape bins and in some vineyard circumstances, challenging terrain and slopes. Not to mention the occasional "critter" that pops up!

However, growers and winery staffs take great precautions and emphasize safety at all times during this busy time of year. Many wineries conduct and require attendance from staff and interns at safety classes before harvest season and grape processing begins. In addition, for scheduled "night picks" headlamps and reflective vests are worn by each crew member, crew member duties are orchestrated so picking personnel know where to go and be, and crew foremen are constantly watching out for crew members safety and harvest efficiency.

Once the grapes are picked and put into their respective bins, these bins are transported to large trailers or trucks for their trip to the winery for processing. Once at their respective wineries, staff begin the magical process of "grapes to glass"!

So there you have it!! Now while this particular brief description of a day in the life of harvest season is  based mostly on my own personnel experience and those descriptions from other grower and winemaker friends, it by no means identifies all of the many other details, tasks and circumstances that come into play with each and every vineyard pick. However, I am amazed and inspired each harvest season by the passion, dedication and commitment that grape growers, their crews, and winery staffs demonstrate each year to grow and make some of the worlds greatest wines!

The "Big Dog Blog's" and this post is dedicated to all that you do!!

Cheers everyone and "Happy Harvest"!!!

Mike