The 2022 wine harvest is well underway

The 2022 wine harvest is underway! I’ve been reposting some winery photos and videos over on my Instagram account as stories. This wine harvest incredibly early: mid-August for some grapes in Northern California, the third week in August for Champagne (incredible for one of the most northerly wine regions), and some pinot nero in Piemonte.

In case you haven’t been outside this summer, it has been incredibly hot and dry–everywhere. Nazi ships that sunk long ago have reappeared in the Danube because the water level has receded so much, the Rhine has been almost impassible, there’s even a drought in southeast England, and the Loire is showing way too much sandy bottom. And we haven’t even gotten to the wildfires that have battered Spain, Portugal and even Bordeaux…

We’ll have to see ultimately what this means for the quality of the vintage. But fingers crossed and best of luck to all those vignerons! The past three years have all been crazy, one way or another.

And just in case you think you’ve got the 2022 wine harvest made in the, er, shade, there seems to be a heatwave looming for Northern California (and beyond). Holy phenolic ripeness, Batman!

PS – harvest happens once a year, which is more frequent than posting on this blog! LOL