“How did harvest go this year?”

At Pressley Vineyards, we get this question a lot lately, especially with the impact of Covid-19. While harvest was definitely different with measures set in place to keep everyone safe, we are proud to say it went great!

The Timing

Our timing was unusual this year. Harvest arrived about two weeks earlier this year, and we harvested all of our fruit within two weeks! In years past we harvested our Albarino and Pinot Noir roughly 10 days to 3 weeks apart, and last year we harvest all of our fruit within 48 hours!

One of our favorite things about each harvest is there are never two harvests that are the same. Each year brings something new for us to learn from with its own unique set of challenges. What were this year’s challenges you ask?  Being completely finished with harvest prior to Labor Day was new to us, as well as the impact of Covid-19.

Staying Safe During COVID

The impact of Covid-19 was something we never expected to face as a family or business owners. It was our priority to make sure everyone was safe throughout the process. Masks were required by all picking crews, and everyone did their best to social distance, the crews were also smaller, which means picking had to start earlier (think midnight, instead of 5 am) to accommodate for longer times to pick the fruit.

Behind the Scenes

This year we also got to bring our friend Tara Beaver along to watch the harvest of our 2020 Pinot Noir, and then she followed us to the winery to watch us process the fruit. You can check out her entire experience on her YouTube channel here. It’s a fun peek behind the scenes!

What’s Next!

With the completion of harvest, we are now focusing on post-harvest management. This will include bringing the sheep back into the vineyard to clean up the vineyard floor in preparation for winter. We will also irrigate to refill the soil profile, we will fertilize the vines and plant our cover crop to set into motion a conducive growing environment for our 2021 crop! The vines will now prepare to go into dormancy until bud break beings in the spring!

Check out the photos below to get a glimpse into harvest 2020, be sure to watch Tara’s video and feel free to ask any questions. We love hearing from you! You can email us directly at [email protected].

Cheers,

B&C