Getting the winery ready for the fruit.

My biggest win from Week 1 as a harvest intern? I survived! And trust me, it wasn’t just physically—mentally, Day 1 hit the hardest. Everything was brand new. And I mean everything. I knew cleaning would be a big part of my first days—winery sanitation is the backbone of quality winemaking—but I wasn’t prepared for just how steep the learning curve would be.

Take the power washer, for example. I had no idea how to even turn it on or hook up the propane tanks! To be fair, there are 5 steps involved in turning it on, but learning my way around the winery has been a crash course in machinery, tools, and a whole lot of patience.

Alvaro (Al) Garcia, Cellar Rat extraordinaire.

Sanitation isn’t just a chore—it’s the most important step in ensuring high-quality wine. It prevents cross-contamination and keeps the microbial load down, which is crucial when you’re working to make exceptional wine.

But it’s also intimidating when you’re navigating it all for the first time. Luckily, I had an absolute rockstar of a Cellar Rat trainer in Alvaro (Al) Garcia. Al’s patience with my endless questions was legendary. Seriously, everyone deserves an “Al” in their life!

Moving tanks with a pallet jack.

Another surprising skill I’ve learned? Channeling my inner MacGyver! Turns out, things regularly break down for all kinds of reasons, and when parts aren’t always readily available, you have to get creative. Quick fixes and thinking on your feet have become part of the daily routine. So, having a knack for improvisation? Definitely helpful.

As for harvest? It’s on its way—slowly. The winemakers are letting the grapes hang a little longer, waiting for the perfect ripeness. A heatwave this past week pushed the thermometer over 100 degrees for a couple of days, which sounds good, but too much heat can actually cause the vines to shut down.

I had the opportunity to chat with winemaker Tracy Kendall and was curious to hear her perspective on the 2024 growing season.

Sampling with Aaron Kendall.

“It’s been a really beautiful growing season. In Oregon, we tend to miss those classic cooler vintages, and this year has certainly proven to be one of them. We had a late, cool spring with plenty of rain, which has kept the water tables high. If you look at the vines, they’re still incredibly green—unusual for this point in the season.

July was very warm, which helped everything progress through bloom, and the fruit started to color up and mature. Then August cooled down again, and now we’re having a brief heat spell in September, pushing everything through veraison. It looks like we’ll have a cool runway to pick, which is ideal.

We’ve also had great diurnal swings, with cool nights all summer, helping to preserve acidity. This gives us balanced sugar levels and that natural acidity we want in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.”

A whole new perspective on cleanliness.

When I asked her whether 2024 reminded her of any previous vintages, she said: ‘That’s a good question. We often try to connect vintages, but they’re all so unique. I’d say this year feels close to 2018, but a bit cooler—like a 2018/2019 hybrid. 2018 was a solid, beautiful, perfect growing season, and 2024 has been similar, just a little cooler and later.”

So we wait. And while we wait…yep, you guessed it. More cleaning!