Wine grape harvest in California is off to an early start this year due to an unseasonably warm March and spring weather that led to many vines having smaller grape clusters.
Growers, winemakers and their associations said that many grape clusters didn’t fully develop — a phenomenon in the industry known as “shatter” — as a result of rain and wind.
Some regions of the state are further along in fruit maturation than others, particularly the Central Coast, according to the California Association of Winegrape Growers. Fruit is ripening about three to four weeks ahead of schedule. Santa Barbara County growers picked sparkling wine grapes on June 30, the earliest harvest they can remember, the statewide wine grape association said. Napa and Sonoma growers are also already picking fruit…