Harvest Outlook.

September 17, 2018. Harvest season is in full swing in the Dry Creek Valley. Some updates on what is happening at Sbragia.

“Harvest is heating up for us here at Sbragia. We brought in our Sauvignon Blanc early last week from Russian River Valley along with the La Promessa Zinfandel planted at the winery. The Ginos and Italos vineyards are next to be harvested and are set to be picked this Wednesday. The weather has been ideal with cool mornings and hot afternoons. I’ve been in the vineyards, walking the rows making sure to watch the sugars so we pick the grapes at the otimum ripness. We just began sampling our Napa Caberents as they are now finnishing verasion. Overall, I think this is going to be a great season with a nice crop and great quality!”

– Adam Sbragia, Winemaker and Director of Operations

Early morning Tuesday, a crew of 40 vineyard workers showed up at the winery ready to pick. The La Promessa vineyard is six and a half acres right on the winery’s property, making for a speedy harvest. This is Sbragia’s thirteenth harvest of La Promessa since we moved into our estate in 2006.

Fun fact: in 2006, we harvested the La Promessa Vineyard just one week after opening our doors!

With the early morning picks, the harvest team works hard and swiftly to get the fruit off the vine before the heat rolls in. This zinfandel harvest took the crew a few short hours to pick with their systematic flow through each row. The grapes are handed over to our production team shortly after to be crushed.  Cellar Master Kyle Mehler and Adam take the lead on the crush. Kyle has been Adam’s right-hand man for over a decade.

There is so much excitement at the winery and this is only just the beginning! The Old Vine Zinfandel vineyards will be ready for harvest  in just a few days, while the Dry Creek Cabernet and Merlot are to follow in the coming weeks.