Sonoma County’s earliest grape harvest in at least 40 years began Thursday morning in the Russian River Valley, where crews picked Pinot Noir at Dutton Ranch’s Jewell Vineyard in what growers say could be one of the earliest harvests on record.
As the golden morning light spilled across the vines, a flurry of harvest workers left a veil of dust in their wake, lingering in the air beneath bright blue skies.
Samantha Rubanowitz, viticulturist and grower relations manager at Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga, surveyed the vineyard in quiet astonishment.
“At Schramsberg, we’ve started harvest in July only twice, and both were at the end of the month,” she said. “This is by far our earliest pick — and completely unexpected. We’re caught off guard, but very excited.”
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