Harvest at Castelli Vineyards

It’s been almost two years since we started to stay home in an effort to prevent the spread of corona virus.

This year, with vaccines and wearing masks, we have gradually started to participate in outside activities with caution.
Among them, the most memorable activity was when I experienced harvesting wine grapes for the first time in my life!


JC and I, among other friends, were invited to join the harvesting at Castelli Vineyards in October.

Castelli Vineyards is a family owned small scale winery in the Green Valley in Sonoma county with focus on Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir.


The majority of the harvesting was done by skilled people in the previous weeks.
We participated in harvesting Nebbiolo in a small parcel of land surrounded by hills.

The area was under the shadow of surrounding hills and was cold when I started to pick grapes but as the sun rose and after carrying the bucket full of grapes, I started to sweat. It felt good.
There were some tiny grapes (millerandage ?) but overall the grapes looked healthy and beautiful.

That part of the vineyard was so small that we finished harvesting by noon.
After that we went back to the winery and tried pressing the must which was crushed weeks ago.

The bright color juices become wine after sleeping in barrels for months. It’s kind of romantic!

The harvesting was followed by the feast.

I looked back the experience of the day over the great wine and food which were made in the winery.
It was just like the harvesting I had been dreaming of. 

Thank you Castelli Vineyards for giving me this great opportunity.