Pre‑dawn darkness lifted into a cool, bright morning as harvest crews fanned out across Lodi. At Mohr‑Fry Ranches, workers were already picking Sauvignon Blanc in the chill of daybreak. Minutes later, a pickup rolled in with about two tons of bright green grapes from Jerry and Bruce Fry’s vineyard on West Lane and Armstrong Road — the start of Roberto Barro’s second vintage of the crisp white for Barro Family Vineyards.
Across the Lodi AVA, similar scenes played out. This year’s harvest is one of the earliest in recent memory — roughly two weeks ahead of typical seasons — driven by a light crop and warm weather that sped up ripening.
A warm March jump‑started vine growth, while irregular late‑winter and early‑spring weather during bloom reduced yields. June and July stayed moderate, with triple‑digit heat arriving only in August. By early to mid‑August, many wineries were already taking fruit…