Vintners to celebrate harvest

They’re up before dawn, snipping the first clusters of the days pick off the vines by the headlights of the tractors. The hum of de-stemmers and wine presses join with the chatter and laughter in the cellar as the first wines of the 2008 vintage are crushed, stomped, punched down and pressed off.

Aromas of fermenting wine and new barrels are ever present as wine hoses snake through the winery, “cellar rats” move barrels here and there, lab analysis is carefully done and the days work begins to end. Cleaning and sanitation of equipment is finally completed as the sun is setting on the day. Next day, repeat!

The 2008 Harvest started mid-August in Santa Barbara County and after eight weeks of exhilarating, exciting and yet exhausting work, winemakers and growers are ready to take a break for a day and celebrate the joys of harvest.

They will do that on Oct. 11, when they join with their chef compatriots in wine country cuisine, specialty food purveyors and local bands for an afternoon of great wines, superb foods, live and lively music and companionship with friends old and new.

The annual Celebration of Harvest festival will once again be held on the beautiful grounds of the Rancho Sisquoc Winery, located on the outskirts of Santa Maria from 1 to 4 p.m. The 100-plus members of the vintners’ association will all be there, pouring their most recent wines, and they will be joined by more than two dozen local chefs, caterers and specialty food purveyors to showcase the bounty of the unique agricultural paradise.

Vintners’ have also donated a plethora of large format bottle wines, special dinners at their wineries and gift-boxed verticals for a silent auction to benefit local charities. And to make the day even more festive, local bands will get guests up off their lawn blankets and kicking up their heels on Rancho Sisquoc’s grassy slopes!

Celebration of Harvest, however, is more than just the festival itself. Visitors can purchase a “Vintners’ Visa” — a four-day passport for tastings and special offers at more than thirty participating wineries — to take a leisurely stroll through the wine trails of the area, and many wineries are planning special events over the weekend.