Happy Harvest! The rumors are true, harvest 2016 has begun! As is typical for most harvests, we have started slowly, doing small pieces here and there, but we are definitely up and running. As August comes to a close and we get into the month of September, we will soon hit our full stride and be picking each and every night.

Folks often ask why we harvest at night, and why we burden ourselves undertaking such a laborious and intricate operation in the darkness. The truth is that we harvest our fruit at night ultimately for wine quality. Even in the short amount of time that it takes to actually harvest and transport it, the heat of day can begin to degrade the fruit and take away from the pristine condition that we worked so hard all year to guarantee. So, like many of our efforts, harvesting at night is an attempt to do whatever we can to protect and promote the utmost quality in our fruit and our wines.

Raise a glass for the onset of the 2016 vintage and enjoy some Three Sticks as you relish the last fleeting moments of the summer. I will check in again next month will a full report on the twist and turns, the trials and triumphs, and all the exciting fun that harvest is sure to bring our way once again.

–Rob Harris, Director of Vineyard Operations