“Harvest continues at a furious pace. We are trying to pick all of our more thin-skinned varieties like chardonnay and malbec before more rain falls on them. That said, light showers like what we had last week (and maybe this week too) don’t cause much trouble. Miner Family Winery is starting to pick cabernet sauvignon in Oakville this week. Miner’s winemaker, Stacy Vogel, says that this week is their busiest yet, probably the case in much of Oakville.”
“Harvest is in full swing up and down the valley. This week we are picking chardonnay and pinot grigio in our Oakville vineyard. This is probably the only pinot grigio/gris in Oakville. Red varieties are also getting picked in Oakville. Natalie Jure Buckland from Opus One says they are harvesting both merlot and cabernet sauvignon this week. However, the biggest weeks for Oakville cabernet sauvignon are yet to come.”
“A return to mild weather after last week’s heat spike has given wineries a chance to harvest mature grapes before overly ripe sugar levels get out of hand. In Oakville, we are harvesting chardonnay and merlot while cabs and other red varieties continue to mature. Most blocks of fruit are coming in one or two weeks ahead of normal schedule, setting up a very busy time in the next few weeks.”
“This week most wineries, Flora Springs included, are back in a more normal harvest mode, although many farther down valley have had to get creative to compensate for damaged barrels and equipment. Our thoughts are with you! In Oakville we will finish up our sauvignon blanc harvest this week, except for a little bit we’re saving for a late-harvest wine. Our current heat spike means ripening should get a little boost. Harvest for the other early varieties like merlot, chardonnay and pinot grigio is just around the corner.”
Many wineries provided relief efforts after the Napa Earthquake. Following the 6.0 earthquake in the Napa area August 24th, the Flora Springs family wanted to help our Napa Valley community.
Upon learning that The Napa Food Bank was low on food, we opened up The Room as a designated Upvalley drop-off location. We collected many grocery bags of food donations and raised over $1000. “A lot of people came in because they said they saw either in print or on social media that we were donating tasting fees,” says Tasting Room Manager Kristin Johnstone. “We will remain a drop-off location as long as needed.”
We also especially wanted to reach out to our Wine Club members, some who suffered significant damage to their homes. In this video – footage from ABC 7 News out of San Francisco – our own Tom Shoar explains. With a small token of support and appreciation, we were able to help our most loyal customers and fans to get back on the road to recovery.
Tom says, “I think it was a very nice break for some people to know someone was thinking of them.” (Footage featuring Flora Springs begins at 1:50.) Leave a comment if you love Tom!