Because there is never a bad day in the world of wine, visiting California Wine Country in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys of northern California, is enjoyable any time of year. However, the most exciting time to visit is during the harvest, from September through November.
Wine Country harvest activities include grape picking, which happens early before the heat of the day kicks in, sorting, crushing, and fermentation. The hustle and bustle of the harvest brings heavy tourism to the area.
Napa Valley is considered one of the prime locations for viewing grape crushing, or "the crush", which emits the sweet smell of fresh grapes in the air. With so many wineries in the area, you can bounce from vineyard to vineyard and sample wines at a number of tasting rooms in a single afternoon.
If you are passionate about wine, there is no bad time to taste wine and bask in the beauty of a vineyard. During the winter, brown vines lay dormant in perfect rows. In spring, wildflowers bloom and buds begin to peek into the cool spring air. Summer brings thick, plump grapes, in time for the fall harvest.
