Night Harvest

by Nat Komes, Flora Springs General Manager

When our family founded Flora Springs in the late 1970s, harvest was a family affair, with relatives and friends joining us from around the Bay Area to help us pick grapes over a couple of weekends.

As our vineyard holdings grew, we hired a full-time vineyard crew to help with harvest, though we still reserved a few rows for our family. In the early 1980s, everyone in Napa Valley picked during daylight, starting after sunrise and finishing up in the afternoon.

But our family came up with a better idea: why not pick the grapes at night when it’s nice and cool, and deliver them to the winery first thing in the morning for processing? It would be more comfortable for the harvest crew, and the fruit would better retain its acid and structure.

We jerry-rigged some lighting on a tractor and gave it a try, and quickly concluded it was a better way to go. Today, of course, nearly every winery in Napa Valley harvests at night; it results in superior fruit and happier vineyard crews.

Flora’s Legacy Six-Pack

To celebrate our 46th Harvest, we are offering the Flora’s Legacy Six-Pack, a curated selection of our finest family wines at Friends & Family pricing of over 50% off. Available through Labor Day at this price, this set includes a special gift and 6 bottles ship for the price of 1. Our Flora’s Legacy Wines are a tribute to Flora Komes, the woman and family matriarch who inspired the founding of Flora Springs. A barrel selection created each year by family members, Flora’s Legacy can be one barrel or several, depending on the vintage; our only requirement is that it represent the very finest Wines of the vintage. Identifiable by the distinct crown emblem on the capsule, the bottle itself is a nod to Flora Komes, who was born in Hawaii and often told stories about being descended from Hawaiian royalty. Shop now.