The heat wave has forced some Bay Area wineries to harvest earlier than usual.
“Last season was our 25th harvest, so this would be number 26,” said David Kent of Darcie Kent Winery in Livermore.
But for Kent and the Darcie Kent Winery, the 26th harvest had to start earlier than expected.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
This week’s record heat forced wineries from Livermore to Napa to figure out ways to preserve grapes. For Kent, the first step was obvious.
“We made sure the vineyards were well irrigated. We extended the watering times, so that the roots would get nice and wet and have available water,” he said.
The second step was bringing in certain grapes that may not survive this much heat.
“We brought in most of our white grapes, sauvignon blanc, grüner veltliner, the champagne, pinot noir,” Kent said.
Honig Vineyard and Winery in Napa did the same thing, harvesting its cabernet sauvignon about a month early.
It’s a decision they’re more than happy with.
“As long as the fruit is tasting ripe and has all the components that they are looking for, has the right sugar levels, which it did, it was time to bring it in,” said Stephanie Honig with Honig Vineyard.
As for Kent, they decided to keep their cabernet in the sun during the heat wave and surprisingly, a majority held up pretty well.
Now with the heat wave coming to a close, Kent told NBC Bay Area that he is looking forward to finishing the harvest season on a high note.
“We’re looking at the chemistry of the wine, the acids are great because even 10 days of warm nights is a far cry from 120 days of warm nights,” he said.
