Ringing in the grapes

The first grape pick of the season — about 20 tons of Pinot Noir from Sangiacomo Family Vineyards  — is celebrated with a bell-ringing Wednesday at the Sonoma Mission. The ringing in of the 2018 harvest was commemorated by growers, vintners, the local wine community, first responders, and local officials in the event organized by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance (SVVGA).

This is the 194th winegrape harvest in Sonoma Valley.

“The 2018 season is shaping up to be very nice,” said Steven Sangiacomo of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards, a third-generation Sonoma Valley farmer. “We are a little later than the last three years, but the yields look to be promising. The exciting part is, the extended hang time should lead to more developed flavors in the grapes.”

The SVVGA is a non-profit trade association representing more than 100 wineries and 140 grape growers in Sonoma Valley.

Earlier this July, SVVGA began another new tradition called the Harvest Kickoff Party, where more than 250 vintners and growers gathered at Serres Ranch to share in a celebration and toast of the region’s most anticipated time of year. During the kickoff, Steven Sangiacomo stood in for his father Angelo Sangiacomo who was voted the Honorary Bell Ringer of the first commemorative Sonoma Valley Harvest Bell.

To further commemorate this new tradition, an American Flag flown over the nation’s capital, thanks to Rep. Mike Thompson, was dedicated to the Sangiacomo Family.

The SVVGA, said Executive Director Maureen Cottingham, recognizes the hard work and dedication of Sonoma Valley vintners, growers and the skilled labor force in producing the highest quality winegrapes and world-class wines.

For the record, the first load, 20 tons of Pinot Noir grapes, will be used for sparkling wine by Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards.

“The first grapes that arrived this morning were Pinot Noir from the Kiser Vineyard in Sonoma Carneros, managed by Sangiacomo Family Vineyards,” said Steven Urbers, Gloria Ferrer’s director of winemaking.  “Generally, juice from this vineyard ends up in some of our very best sparkling wines.”

The juice will go into bottle in the middle of 2019 and the earliest release wines will be on the market in 2021. “We expect to have the vast majority of our Pinot Noir grapes for our sparkling wines harvested and in tank by the end of this month,” Urbers said.

– PHOTOS BY MELANIA MAHONEY