Plumping

In mid-summer, grape growers watch for veraison, changes in color and texture that signal the stage of ripening. The first sightings in Sonoma Valley were announced in late July. The first harvest - of pinot noir grapes for sparkling wine - could begin within the week. Our Old Vine zinfandels will incubate
another few weeks before their skins soften and darken, shifting to the final stage of ripening before harvest.
Still moist after the morning fog rolls back to sea, the plant's long graceful canopies sway in the breeze. Beneath them, hundreds of plump green grapes jostle for space in dozens of clusters.