Harvest at our winery starts off at a snail's pace but it escalates faster than a sugar rush. Every day, more grapes come pouring in, and within a week, it's like a full-blown grape invasion. The winery becomes a buzzing hive of activity, with key staff working for 12 hours or more per day, six days a week. Navarro's Riesling is grown in sheltered, warm locations but in spite of the advantageous sites, they are still the last grapes to ripen. To make matters tougher, Riesling berries have delicate, thin skins that just love to invite rot to the party. The winery crew only realizes this surprise when they finally catch a breath from their month-long frenzy of daily tasks. About a third of our Riesling grapes in 2022 were foregone for the production of a late harvest wine.

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