Harvest season officially kicks off in Sonoma Valley

Workers of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards shared a cheers over sparkling wine to begin a new harvest season in Sonoma Valley Tuesday morning, showering the contents of their glasses onto to crates of glistening, freshly picked pinot noir grapes.

This season marks the 40th harvest for Gloria Ferrer winemaker Harry Hansen, who has been monitoring the brix level — the sugar content — of pinot noir grapes on the property to signal their readiness to be turned into wine.

The tradition of pouring wine over the grapes, Hansen said to the group of employees, is to guide them to their next metamorphosis “so they know what to do next.”

Crews began pulling grapes from vines before the glow of dawn had a chance to touch the vines. Vineyard Director Brad Kurtz said the morning was uncharacteristically clear without the typical fog that rolls in during most days.

“One day down, 50 to go,” Kurtz said, adding the first day of harvest is focused on “getting everyone back in the saddle.”

The harvest came about a week earlier than in past years because of the lack of rain in January and February, paired with heat waves over the summer. The various patterns of weather this year, Hansen said, is something he’ll leave to the “weather guys” — he’ll focus on the grapes.

Viticulture science has made leaps since Hansen’s first harvest, and he has added two graduate degrees over that time to further Gloria Ferrer’s excellence and bring new sustainable practices to its winemaking.

Still, no amount of education compares to the knowledge gained from sifting among the vines and soil.

“The more I do this, the more time I spend out in vineyards,” Hansen said. “Are they ripening evenly? Are they developing grape flavors? ... That’s not information you can get sitting in a chair in an office.”

Soon, after ringing the bell to mark the beginning of another harvest season, forklift operators began the process of crushing 20 tons of pinot noir grapes collected that morning to ensure freshness.

The grapes traveled up along a conveyor belt to the three grand crushing machines, where they would be pressed, pounded and pulverized before being drained into studio-apartment-sized tanks for aging.

But Gloria Ferrer isn’t the only group ringing in the new harvest season.

Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance will ring in the 198th year of grape harvests in Sonoma Valley on Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Mission San Francisco Solano at 114 E. Spain St.

Growers, vintners, wine aficionados, and representatives from the city will commemorate the beginning of the 2022 vintage of grapes, Sonoma Valley’s largest industry.

While the harvest of Sonoma Valley and its growers are often symbolized by grapes — it’s the laborers in the fields and the cellar that Hansen most appreciates.

“The grapes are important, the wines important,” Hansen said, “but I work with a team of people and they're the ones that really do the legwork.”

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.