Grape harvest under way in Napa Valley

As the sun rose over Atlas Peak early Friday, speckling golden light on misty grapevines in Oakville, a crew of 30 pickers hustled ripe clusters of pinot noir grapes off the vine.

The clusters were nimbly cut free and gingerly dropped into bins headed up the Silverado Trail for Mumm Napa, in the first reported grape harvest of the year on California's North Coast.

“The action is on,” said Alex Vyborny, owner of Vyborny Vineyard Management, which manages 1,000 acres of vineyards throughout Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. “The quality should be really good. We've had great weather.”

Vyborny's crews were harvesting grapes for Mumm's Brut Rose. With sweaty brows, harvesters lunged at the grapevines, deftly cutting three or four plump clusters with one swoop of the arm, and running through the stony vineyards with heavy bins laden with fruit. Occasionally, a hummed song or a burst of cheers rose through the air.

“You can hear the excitement,” said Doug Springer, grower relations manager for Mumm Napa. “So far it's an excellent season. The weather's cooperating very well.”

Grapes for sparkling wine are harvested several weeks ahead of those crushed for still wines, because they can be picked at lower sugar levels. Though this year's harvest began several weeks before it did last year, it was right on schedule for a normal harvest, growers said.

“It's been a dream growing season this year,” said Ludovic Dervin, winemaker for Mumm Napa. “It's probably the healthiest growing season I've seen in 20 years in California.”

A few of Joe Canal's staff members visited Mumm Napa last fall. It's a beautiful winery that makes some delicious sparkling wines. What California wine are you most looking forward to in the new vintage?

This article was written by Cathy Bussewitz and was originally published on pressdemocrat.com. Read more...