'Harvest Wine Celebration' Canceled Due To Tri-Valley Heat Wave

LIVERMORE, CA – Sunday's 36th Harvest Wine Celebration, an annual event in Livermore's wine country, is canceled due to the region's heat wave, organizers said today.

"Out of care and concern for our guests, volunteers and winery staff, the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association has made the difficult decision to cancel the 36th annual Harvest Wine Celebration scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 3 at Las Positas College in Livermore," the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association said.

"We were very excited about the 2017 Harvest Wine Celebration, which would have brought all of our member wineries together at the top of Las Positas College, but, our first priority is the health and welfare of our community,” said Chris Chandler, executive director of trade group.

“The excessive heat forecasted by local and national weather services is a safety risk we are not willing to take. Our board explored moving the event to an indoor location but the tight timeframe and size of the event made moving impossible.”

The organization provided the following update on tickets:

• What about the tickets purchased? -All ticket purchases will automatically be refunded to credit cards in seven to 10 business days.
• Will winery tasting rooms be open? -Yes, many of the tasting rooms will be open for the holiday weekend.

Roberta Gonzales, KPIX5 meteorologist and a Livermore Valley resident, said she has been a meteorologist for the past 21 years but has never seen temperatures like those forecasted for the area.

"While the hot weather is very conducive to the ripening of grapes, it is not beneficial for people. This unprecedented, record-breaking heat wave is dangerous," Gonzales said. "I support the Winegrowers' decision to cancel the event and want everyone to be safe and heed the watches and warnings in place.”

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--Image via Livermore Valley WineCountry