WE UNDERSTAND that the grape yield this year in the Anderson Valley was so small that the usual crews who work our vineyards simply went home because they're paid by weight and there wasn’t enough weight to make the harvest worth their while. Also, some of the locals who pick this time of year didn’t pick for the same reason — lack of remunerative heft. This left most vineyards, wineries and contractors with only their year-round employees and anyone else they could round up willing to work to bring in the grapes. At least one contractor had to bring in outside labor crews via labor contractors. This year’s harvest was low compared to previous years, but all the vineyards came in at the same time making the labor situation even more dire in terms of labor availability. Normally, the harvest is a bit more staggered, but that last heat wave, the wine people say, ripened all the valley's grapes just about simultaneously.
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