At dawn, a blanket of gray clouds stretched across the Las Positas vineyard, casting a shadow blocking the first hints of light. The vines still glistened with a thin layer of morning dew, while clusters of grapes with hues of purple and green hung low. The campus was quiet at 6 a.m. except for the steady snip of shears and the soft rustles of leaves as volunteers moved slowly down the rows of vines. Boots pressed into the damp soil.
As the sun came up, the harvest unfolded like a steady rhythm. By late morning, the haze began to lift, leaving behind sunlit rows of the vineyard. The season’s first chapter of winemaking now tucked into crates.
Before the sun had fully risen over the campus, students and volunteers gathered at the vineyards Monday morning Sept. 9. Volunteers Noah Yaffe and Douglas Pleskac rolled down the nets so people could start harvesting grapes. Newly appointed director of the Viticulture and Winery Technology program, Brianna Lopez, met with volunteers at 6 a.m. to start harvesting the fruit.
By the time the weather started warming up at 11 a.m., bins of fresh Albariño grapes were stacked and ready for refrigeration.
“This was our first harvest of the growing season,” Lopez said. “We harvested Albariño, which we’ll process in class and eventually bottle into wine that people can actually buy at one of our Wine Wednesdays.”
The harvest was a full learning experience. Students and volunteers worked all morning, cutting grape clusters, hauling buckets and loading boxes to the transport cart. The harvest was a great way for students to get their hands dirty in the field.
Harvest gives them real-world, hands-on experience.
For student Emma Britton, the day began before sunrise.
“The more people you get to help out with the harvest, the quicker the process goes and then you get more grapes to actually work with and learn from,” Britton said. “It’s also just really therapeutic being out with nature and getting hands-on experience with the program. Over the summer, I was excited and ready for harvest season to begin. “
The harvested Albariños lay resting in a cold storage, the first step in their transition from a vine to a glass bottle. In just a few months, the same fruit that students clipped in the morning mist will be bottled and poured for the community during the winery’s Wine Wednesdays.
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TOP PHOTO: Volunteer plucks grapes during first harvest of growing season. (Photo by Angelina An/The Express)
Angelina An is the editor-in-chief of The Express. Follow her on instagram @jjj.bun_e.e919.
