Harvest is Just Around the Corner

The first grapes are going through verasion - the process by which grapes change color from green to red or green to yellow/green. The newspapers have printed their first articles with predictions for this year's harvest. Experts say that workers will begin picking the first grapes, those for sparkling wines, in the first or second week of August. These same experts predict that this year's harvest will exceed last year's but not match the record harvest of 2005.

Harvest is the most popular time of year for tourists to visit wine country. There is much activity in the wineries and good smells are in the air. Visitors can see the grapes hanging from the vines and taste the sweetness of wine grapes. Many wineries let visitors taste grape juice and/or newly fermented wine.

If you are planning to visit wine country between August and early November, some planning can help ensure that you have a fun visit. Hotel reservations, particularly in the Napa Valley, are likely to be scarce. Some hotels are probably already sold out on many dates. So book your lodging as early as you can.

Try to avoid visiting on a Saturday. Throughout the year Saturday is always the most popular days for folks to visit wine country. During harvest, plan for the wineries to be packed on Saturdays, especially in Napa. If you must visit on a Saturday, visit a wine region other than the Napa Valley. The Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys in northern Sonoma County are always less crowded than the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Visit wineries that are open to the public only by advance appointment. These wineries control the number of visitors, so you will have a more personal tasting experience. Even during harvest, you won't experience the crowds at these wineries. However, the most popular wineries that require appointments are fully booked more than a month in advance. If you would like to visit Far Niente, Schramsberg, Jarvis, Nickel and Nickel, and other well-known wineries that are open only by appointment, make your reservations now. Some of my favorite Napa wineries that require an appointment are Hall Rutherford, Bell Wine Cellars, Havens, and Sullivan. In the Alexander Valley, Jordan requires an appointment and provides a nice tour and tasting.

If you do not want to fight the crowds during harvest, have Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel plan your visit or take you on a private, wine country tour. For more information, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.