Harvest 2019 is well under way here in Santa Barbara County. Let us pick you up in Santa Barbara or the Santa Ynez Valley and give you a unique authentic wine country experience. Join us for an unforgettable day of tasting amazing wines in unique beautiful intimate settings.
This is our busy season for wine tours as people from all around the World visit to see wines being made. Most of the year the wineries are quiet as wine is aging in barrel, not right now. All the action in wine making happens as the fruit matures and is brought into the winery for processing. In just a few short weeks grapes are crushed, fermented, and are put to rest in oak, cement, or stainless steel to be readied for aging and eventually bottling. Many wineries bottle last year’s vintage at this time to make room in the cellar for the new vintage. Many of our guests are getting to see the fruit as it is destemmed, crushed and fermented.
2019 Crop Report: We had good rainfall in the Winter which led to great bud break and foliage, a cool Spring and Summer have lent to a long growing season called a “winemaker’s vintage” meaning the winemakers can make stylistic decisions rather than being dictated by weather and timing. Mid to late August saw the first white grapes and pinot noir being harvested. Then slowly and surely all the other varietals are rippening in good fashion. Many varietals have 4 weeks or more before they can be harvested. We could see harvest continuing all the way through mid-November like last year. This is good because all the fruit isn’t being rushed in for processing. Slow and steady wins the race for high quality wines.
All of this makes it a great time of year to visit Santa Barbara Wine Country, so, join us for a wine tour! Our professional tour hosts can pick you up from Santa Barbara, relax for a drive up the beautiful Gaviota Coast. Alternatively, we might take you up over the Santa Ynez Mountains with breath taking views of Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. Check out Visit Santa Barbara for other things to see and do while in SB. Or, if you prefer to stay in the Santa Ynez Valley we can pick you up from the many hotels in the area. Check out Visit SYV for more info on places to say and things to do. Reserve your wine tasting tour with us today!
