There’s more to the Napa Valley wine scene than just sipping local blends. Get active and have some good old fashioned fun with grape crushing this season! Harvest is around the corner and grape crushing follows soon after. Grape crushing, or stomping, encourages the use of bare feet to get the grape juices flowing in place of the traditional press. You can dress casual and be ready to get down and dirty, sharing laughs with new and old friends. A true one of kind experience - should be on every bucket list!
Now is the time to book your crush experience as most take place in early October through the end of the month. The harvest has already begun for some grapes, with the lighter Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling grapes picked first. From there, we’ll see other whites and reds harvested and prepped for the crush. This is also, conveniently, a beautiful time of year in the Napa Valley, albeit a bit warm at times. August and September can see temperatures in the triple digits, which makes that glass of water alongside your wine glass even more important.
By the time the crush begins, temperatures will dip and beautiful sunsets will take us through October when most wineries host their crush events, whether it’s the grape crushing mentioned above or early barrel tastings. Experienced wine country visitors might even recommend waiting until early November when the crowds have died down and the crush is nearly complete. That’s when barrel tastings begin and you can get an early taste of the just harvested varietals.
One thing is certainly true - the Napa Valley hold experiences like no other at nearly every time of the year!