3rd Day of Pinot Noir Harvest plus some extra photos

It was overcast this morning for a long while which made photography difficult. The first few photos made it look like the workers were picking at night when in fact, it was quite light - just a little too dark for the camera.

While I waited for the sky to lighten, I used the tripod to get some photos out behind the barn. There's a buckeye tree with buckeyes hanging on it like Christmas ornaments. Funny I should mention Christmas ornaments because every year the buckeyes are painted bright colors for the Holiday in Carneros wine tasting event. I discovered a double buckeye - I wonder if that's the buckeye equivalent of a four-leaf clover?

I finally got some photos of the workers. I decided to get closer which was tricky. I took photos as the people worked their way towards me, then had to move smartly out of the way in order to not slow them down. Aerobic photography.

Click here for today's harvest photos.

Click here for other photos taken at Adastra.

The perhaps rare and wonderous double buckeye.

2nd day of Pinot Noir harvest

I've been a photographer for a few years but it still isn't easy photographing fast-moving grape harvesters in low light before the sun hits the vineyard, then in contrasty light after it does. A little bit of blur is ok or even desireable in some instances. It helps conveys how quickly the workers are moving. I especially like capturing the movement when a worker cuts a grape cluster off the vine. I positioned myself on the opposite side of a grape vine and focused my camera on a grape cluster on my side of the vine, knowing that the worker would have to reach his hands through the vine to get to the cluster. Even though I was prepared to take the photo the moment his hands appeared, I often still missed the shot because the cluster was gone before I could press the shutter.

After reviewing today's photos and finding only a few good ones, I decided to go back tomorrow and this time, try to get a little closer to the workers with the camera flash.

Despite the missed or blurred shots, there's nothing like being out in amoungst the grapevines on a cool morning watching the crop being harvested.

I asked Chris to tell me a little more about the harvest this year and this is what I learned:

2006 has been late for harvest, but mild weather has allowed excellent flavor development. The winemaker, Pam Starr, is very pleased with the fruit quality from 2006 pinot harvest. Adastra purposely has very low grape yields to make intense wine, i.e. 2 tons/acre or less, rather than usual 4-ish. There were only only 119 cases of the 2004 Adastra Pinot Noir made and it will be released October 11, 2006, at $56/bottle; currently available on prerelease basis at $54/bottle. Most is already presold so I'm glad I got my order in early! And the Pinot Noir pinot has made the wine list of such notable restaurants as Daniel (NYC), Ritz Carlton (SF) and La Toque (Napa Valley/Rutherford).

I noticed that not every grape is plump and full. Juicy but wrinkled and not as pretty as the plump ones I photograph. Chris said that these ugly-duckling grapes still make good wine. And as it happened, the particular clone of Pinot Noir that was at that moment being harvested was called "Swan".

Click here to see photos of today's harvest.

The Harvest Begins

This morning I went to Adastra Vineyards in Napa to photograph the harvest of the 2006 Pinot Noir. It's a great honor to visit Adastra and participate in in the harvest. The vineyards are full of fall colors - yellow, gold, red, orange, green. Just about the only fall colors that we see here in northern California. Adastra, for you wine afficionados, is in the Carneros appellation at the south end of Napa Valley.

When I arrived, the sun was just rising over the hills and everyone was already hard at work. Chris Thorpe, owner of Adastra was slowly driving his tractor in a row between the vines, pulling a trailer carrying the two large plastic grape bins. A couple of women stand on the trailer, leaning over the two bins and pick out any stray grape leaves or vines that are inevitably harvested along with the grapes. The workers harvesting the grapes greatly impressed me with their speed and skill as they cut the individual grape clusters and let them fall into plastic boxes. When a box is full, the worker doesn't just walk quickly to the bins on the tractor, he runs because the grapes must be harvested and crushed as quickly as possible. Great wine only comes from great grapes, picked at their prime.

This morning, there were only a few rows to harvest and the workers were finished by 9:30. Tomorrow morning, more grapes will be ready and the workers will be back early.

Chris handed me a Pinot Noir grape to taste. Generally, I find that wine grapes just off the vine are not especially tasty, but this one was delicious. He said that he will sell what was left on the vines after today's harvest to home winemakers. If you or anyone you know wants second harvest Pinot Noir grapes, contact Dr. Chris Thorpe at Adastra Vineyards. You'll have to hurry because these are excellent grapes and are in great demand.

Dr. Chris Thorpe, owner of Adastra

Edwin Richards, Vineyard Manager

Flying grapes

The workers

And of course, the grapes

For slide show of the above photos, click here.