Sonoma County Line

If you have the time and the pleasure, do yourself a favor in the next week or two, and wake up a little earlier than perhaps is your usual. Grab a steaming latte (or other caffeinated beverage of your choice), jump in the car and head out to your favorite winding back road in Sonoma wine country. It’s now chilly these mornings, so wear a scarf or fleece, crank open the sunroof and of course, don’t forget to tune your radio to the KRSH.

You see, Sonoma is in the thick of harvest right now and it’s the absolute best time to drive through wine country in the early morning hours and watch the world of wine wake up.

Thick white fog still hugs the vines of the valley floor early in the morning, allowing you to only see a few feet deep into the vineyard. The sun is rising, but obscured by the blanket fog, casting a rich, yet muted, golden glow on all you see. Vineyard workers are at the front of the rows, working feverishly to pick their grapes while the morning air is still cool. You’ll be amazed at how fast they move – as if someone forgot to let off the fast forward button. A large, open-top grape truck creeps alongside the pickers, while another worker stands above the open bins spreading out grapes and picking out debris. Up walks a picker with his fully loaded grape bin hoisted over his head. Up and over, he dumps his grapes into the truck, quickly rushing back to the next section of vine. On and on they’ll go, fast and furious, until all the grapes are picked and on their way to the winery, hopefully before the fog burns off and the temperature starts to creep up for the day.

Onward to the winery, which you’ll sometimes smell before you see. An olfactory haze permeates the air around the winery, equally as thick as the fog still burning off in the vineyards: thick, sweet, fermenting grapes. The winery is already bustling with energy and life, the winemaker and cellar workers probably having been there before the sun was up. Loud music plays full blast over the cellar speakers – a welcome addition, as the morning caffeine still works its magic on what was probably a late night before of filling tanks and barrels, washing grape bins, hosing down equipment, getting ready for the next morning’s grape deliveries. Crusher/destemmers move fast, grapes are sorted, presses hum in the background and tanks are filled. Sweet, sticky, fermenting grapes.

It’s harvest time. You can feel the energy.  My favorite time of year.

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This weekend is the Sonoma Harvest Fair, actually starting today. I haven’t ever been, but it seems like a great time for those wanting to get into the harvest state of mind. Wine tastings, art receptions, live music, grape stomping, barnyard scrambles. What more could you ask for?! Plenty of fun activities for both adults and the little ones. Oct. 2-4 and you can find the full schedule *here*. Have fun!