Sonoma Valley High students up extra early to harvest grapes

It isn’t particularly easy to get students to go to school at 6 a.m. to handpick sauvignon blanc grapes — or do anything else, for that matter — but once Sonoma Valley High School students arrive to participate in the annual grape harvest, most find that they’re very glad they did.

During this year’s picking, which took place from 6 to 8 a.m. Wednesday, the early time was especially necessary considering this week’s extreme heat wave.

Johannes Scheid, the winemaker at Schug Carneros Estate Winery in Sonoma, who helped with the harvest, said that while the temperatures at that time of day “got a little warm,” he was pleased that they didn’t seem to deter the young people who turned out.

“About 30 students showed up, which is more than we expected,” he added.

All students from Sonoma Valley High School’s agricultural classes are invited to participate in the one-day event on the 8-acre, 420-vine school farm. Typically, a few dozen students show up.

They are usually joined by SVHS Agriculture Advisory Committee members, teachers, staff and community members. The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance also participates, bringing the traditional bell to ring in the harvest.

Last year, teacher Sarah Richardson asked a student who was not enjoying her agriculture and soil chemistry class to help pick grapes.

“She told me that her father works in the vineyards and that she enjoyed getting to be a part of our school farm harvest,” Richardson said. “This girl, who did not want to be in ag to begin with, went on to raise a lamb at our school farm through (Future Farmers of America) and wants to be on our FFA vine pruning team this year.

“It is inspiring as a teacher to watch students fully immerse themselves in the opportunities our program offers, and it all started with harvesting the school farm vineyard for this particular student.”

Pat Stornetta, co-owner of Leveroni Vineyards in Sonoma, has been involved with the vineyard since its inception. She said it has been a steppingstone for other students, too.

“We have had many alumni that have gone into the grape growing and wine industry,” she said. “One in three jobs in Sonoma County is related to the industry.”

Students pick on the school farm, which also includes raised bed gardens, a greenhouse, a shade house, two livestock barns, a storage barn and a classroom.

Richardson said this year’s crop looked good and was likely to yield about 1 ton of grapes, a typical amount.

After the harvest, the grapes are taken to Schug Carneros Estate Winery in Sonoma, where they are crushed and made into some 160 gallons of wine.

The high school receives about 15 cases of the wine to promote its agricultural program. The school doesn’t raise money from the project; the vineyard is used as a laboratory for students to gain knowledge about the wine industry.

The vineyard is farmed using organic practices, thereby teaching students the importance of sustainability. No pesticides, herbicides or fungicides are used, and commercial yeast is not utilized in the winemaking process.

Phil Coturri, owner and president of Enterprise Vineyard Management in Sonoma, who is also a pioneer in organic and biodynamic farming, donated all the materials and labor to plant the vineyard in 2014.

Ross Cannard, a graduate of SVHS who worked for Coturri, led the installation.

“I wanted to give kids an opportunity to get involved with the industry and to give the agricultural community a chance to give back to the school,” Cotturi said.

Last year, another SVHS graduate, Eric Clouse, the vineyard manager at Enterprise Vineyard Management, began overseeing the daily operations at the quarter-acre SVHS vineyard.

Students assist with pruning, taking soil samples and measuring the sugar content of the grapes before the harvest.

“It’s been a real pleasure to work with the high school kids,” Clouse said. “As they grow up in Sonoma, it’s important for them to learn about the agricultural industry because it’s an important part of our lives. I wish that it was more a part of the curriculum when I was in high school.”

Scheid, the winemaker at the Schug Carneros Estate Winery, helps to navigate students through the grape growing process throughout the year.

“Since some of them will end up in the wine industry and this is their first hands-on experience, it’s very important,” he said.

Richardson, who also teaches advanced agriscience as well as viticulture and farm management at SVHS, has quickly learned about the history of the vineyard and its operations since joining the faculty last year.

“I did not have any experience with vineyards or the wine industry,” she said. “My teaching partner, Lori Bisordi, was born and raised in Sonoma. Her family owns a vineyard, and she has been a great help with any questions I have about the industry.”

Richardson has also come up with a clever strategy to rouse students so they will arrive on time for the 6 a.m. harvest.

“Doughnuts and coffee help persuade them to get out of bed early and help out while the sun is rising, before school,” she said. “While it may be early, the students really enjoy being a part of the process.”

Reach Staff Writer Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.