The first wine grapes of this year’s harvest were picked on August 7 in southern Napa County and have made their way from the vineyard to the crush pad to become the first sparkling wine of the 2017 vintage. Other sparkling wine producers will be picking their first wine grapes in the coming days. The timing of this year’s harvest looks to be normal, a welcome change from the early harvests the past couple of years. Sauvignon Blanc and other aromatic white wine grapes will start to hit crush pads in the next 14 – 20 days. The recent heat hasn’t caused any concerns for vintners. This year’s wet winter has winemakers throughout the valley thankful, but has led to a lot of vine vigor or how one vintner described his vines as being quite “frisky” this year. Vintners and growers are busy managing vine canopies, checking as grapes turn from green to red and gearing up for another high quality Napa Valley vintage.