And we’re off! Harvest got off to a late start but finally began on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at King Estate with the arrival of about seven tons of Sauvignon Blanc from vineyard partner Foothill vineyard in southern Oregon. About 20 tons total came in that first day. The production team gathered for the traditional toast to mark the nearly two-month journey to completion.
Then on Friday, Sept. 30, harvest kicked off on King Estate with the picking of early fruit from our vineyard, destined for sparkling wine. Grapes for sparkling wine are harvested early when the brix, or sugar content, is low. (See our blog to learn more about our sparkling wine program.)
Picking in the King Estate vineyard began in earnest on Monday, Oct. 10. By Oct. 18 more than 3,000 tons of fruit had come in, closing in on the 4,000+ tons we expect. Fears of low yields after the April frost were abated as dry weather continued, giving the grapes time to hang and develop. Right now it’s a race to get as much fruit in as possible before rains begin toward the end of the week.
