Behind the Scenes with Family Winery Teams, Grape Growers & Grape Stomp Planners
This year's harvest season is truly a family affair!
Winery families have come together across Calaveras Wine Country for the 2020 harvest season to process the best fruit from diverse and beautiful vineyards ranging from Copperopolis to below Hathaway Pines. Yes, we had smoke in the air due to the biggest fire season in California history. Yes, we are in the midst of a pandemic and horrible politics. BUT....bad news doesn't get in the way of the prospective spirit that is Calaveras Wine Country. The above collage features family from Stevenot Winery and also some harvest pictures from Mineral Wines.
In celebration of this year's harvest season, the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance is set to host the 27th Annual Calaveras Grape Stomp Competition taking place online for the first time on Sunday, September 27th. Due to pandemic, the event and auction has been moved online using Zoom and a great time is planned for all. This community event and fundraiser has become a tradition for many and details can be found at HERE. The Online Auction opens first to stomp teams on September 25th and then to the public on September 28th! Watch for more information on our website and Facebook pages. GREAT items have been donated from vintners, adventure companies and retailers. With 40 tasting rooms to explore in Calaveras Wine Country and the prospecting spirit of grape growers and winemakers alike, visitors can enjoy almost every type of wine available in California. Safe and socially distanced spaces are setup at each tasting room to comply with Covid-19 state mandates. A Tasting Room Directory can be found HERE.
Out in the vineyards and winery crush pads, grape growers, cellar workers and winemakers are bringing in this year's beautiful bounty of wine grapes ranging from Barbera, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Viognier, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne and many more!
Sandra Hess, Executive Director of the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance shares, "This year's harvest in Calaveras Wine Country has been bittersweet as we mourn the loss of one of the greats, Steve Collum. Collum was the lead Vineyard Manager in our wine region and brought a wealth of knowledge to winery teams throughout the Sierra Foothills. Steve helped our friends at Aloria Vineyards achieve their Sustainable Vineyard Certification and brought many innovate approaches to vineyard management including the development of his own grape covers solution. Steve is greatly missed and will be forever remembered for his kindness and many contributions. We dedicate the 2020 Calaveras Wine Region Harvest to Steve".
We have collected a round-up of pictures and video for Part 2 of the Calaveras Wine Country Harvest Highlights Blog and hope that you enjoy! We are excited to see so many of the next generation bringing in this year's bounty. Starting with this video from Matt Hatcher who filmed his son Sewell tending to the grapes at Chatom Winery on August 25th. The future's so bright, we gotta wear shades!
The Tanner family and friends gathered on August 24th for night harvest at Tanner Vineyards lead by Dick....
Team Ironstone Vineyards harvested their Verdelho on August 22nd. We can't wait to taste this year's vintage!
Husband and wife team Craig and Kate from Boyle MacDonald Wines had a romantic time night harvesting on September 17th...
Father and daughter team Kevin and Kirsten from Locke Vineyards shared a gorgeous picture of their Zinfandel harvest at crush on September 15th...
About the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance: Established in 1989, The Calaveras Winegrape Alliance (CWA) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to increasing the awareness of all wines produced in Calaveras County and/or produced from Calaveras grapes. CWA represents Calaveras County families - making some of the most exciting wines in California’s historic Sierra Foothills region. The Calaveras Grape Stomp Competition was started by local winery owners and grape growers who wanted to create a fun event to celebrate the harvest season and also give back to their local communities. The annual event has grown into the Largest & Oldest Grape Stomp in California. To learn more visit the Grape Stomp page here.
