Five Signs the Annual Wine Grape Harvest is Here

It’s no secret the Napa Valley can dazzle your senses. From fine wine and food, to amazing year round sights, to unique sounds and world-class massages, there is something to occupy all five senses.

With that in mind, here are five signs that the annual wine grape harvest is here.

Sights: Crews in the vineyards plucking grapes off the vines. Outhouses at the end of vineyard rows where typically rose bushes can be seen. Piles upon piles of yellow bins stacked near crush pads across the valley. Big, orange harvest moons rising and falling over the hills on either side.

Sounds: Grape pickers and tractors humming late at night and in the very early morning hours. Birds squawking as they migrate south across the valley at dawn.

Smells: The pleasant scent of fermenting grapes being carried across the valley by the cool evening breeze. Grab a bike and ride up Highway 29 to enjoy the scent, particularly as you make your way between Rutherford and St. Helena.

Touch: Perfectly ripened wine grapes right after they come off the vine. Squish the grapes with your feet at one of the many harvest ‘stomp’ events put on by local wineries.

Taste: Pop a freshly picked wine grape in your mouth and be amazed at how different it tastes from the final product that will be produced from it. Try a vertical flight of top-notch juice to get a sense for similarities and differences in harvests past.

What reminds you that it’s harvest time in the valley?