It is officially the busiest time in Napa Valley, not only are there some exciting events going on around town, the wineries are in the full process of Harvest. Now, you may be wondering, what is Harvest and why is it such a long process at the Napa wineries. There is a lot that goes into preparing for harvest all year long that make for an exciting time in wine country.
While Napa is such a famous and well-known place, there are other regions of wine country that are worth visiting during your time in the area. The Russian River wineries and Healdsburg wineries in Sonoma County also have some amazing Harvest events and opportunities to experience Harvest Season to its fullest and being a part of the action.
With Harvest beginning as early as August and lasting well into the month of November, some may wonder what the different stages are for this season. With your favorite sparkling wines usually kicking off Harvest Season first by winemakers trying to capture the perfect balance of acidity for these amazing sparkling wines. Followed by the sparkling wines are the popular lighter white wine varietals, including the crowd favorite Sauvignon Blanc. Continuing in the next harvesting stage is the famous Chardonnay varietal.
We then move to the next stage where we begin with our lighter “reds” like the delicate Pinot Noir grape. After this stage redder grapes follow for Harvest Season including Merlot Cabernet Franc, etc. All these stages proceed the most popular time of Harvest Season in Napa Valley, the Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest. Napa is known for the incredible variety in soil to produce some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon varietals in the world.
The unique process of Harvest Season is the very reason why visitors from all over the world venture to Napa Valley during this time of year to enjoy a tour of these Napa, Russian River, and Healdsburg wineries.
Photo courtesy of www.jsfashionista.com
Napa Valley Harvest Stages
