When it comes to growing a crop, the most influential factor for the grower is putting up with the weather. This has been a good year weather wise.

The grapes are in full bloom. The flowers have opened, and from the flowers will emerge the berries. This is a critical time in the vineyard.

Seems like we always talk about the weather.  It is definitely a major factor in farming.  This may become the earliest harvest in my 44 years in Santa Barbara County.  The drought is only partly responsible.  We are already finishing spraying and will irrigate more  but bird netting is already taking place.  We have a good chance of picking grapes mid-August instead of the usual mid-September.  So things like our late August bottling schedule will now become part of harvest.  Megan and the winery have their hands full between trying to get one harvest in the bottle and the next harvest back into the tanks.