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32 WINES&VINES June 2016 W ell, it's June at the winery, which means you are probably getting ready to bottle some wines, final- ize grape contracts and squeeze in a vacation before the madness of harvest begins. June is also an ideal time to plan for harvest. For many winemakers, planning for harvest means the following: a. Spend a few hours online researching your vaca- tion, checking out hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, best places to fish, etc. b. Walk through each of the vineyards that supply your winery. The typical two-hour visit is split i n t o 3 0 m i n u t e s walking through the vineyard and actu- ally assessing the vines and 90 minutes listening to the vine- yard manager com- p l a i n a b o u t h o w tough grapegrowing is this year, because it's about the worst year he/she has ever seen for (insert vine- yard malady or climate attribute here). c. M a k e a n u n f o u n d e d t o n n a g e estimate. d. Remember that just as last harvest ended, you and your cellar crew made a "to-do list" for next year, vowing that 2016 would not be a repeat of "the great 2015 train wreck." There was a list of spare parts needed, equipment that re- quired major servicing, winery layout changes for better material flow and supplies that need to be ordered a lot earlier than you did. e. Unfortunately, you pinned the to-do list to a cork- board, which has since been taken down. You now spend a few hours looking for it. You ask the cellar crew if they remember where it may have gone. f. You give up on finding the to-do list. Rationalize to yourself that it's not really that important. 2016 won't be like 2015 because, well, just because. g. Go back to planning your vacation. The above scenario may be exaggerated, but having been a winemaker for small wineries and observing many winery operations, my sense is that winemakers spend a lot of time in the vineyard, but not quite enough time getting the winery ready. Harvest is crazy busy, which is why getting ready for it is so critical. One stuck thermostat can prevent a tank from chilling and cause an overnight fermentation spike to 95° F, with serious wine quality implications. Veteran winery operations managers know this, so they test and clean every tank thermostat prior to harvest. What do "the pros" do? I interviewed three veteran winemakers about preparing for harvest, inquiring about planning tools, preventive maintenance sched- ules, staffing, ordering supplies, equipment and barrels, plus forecasting tank usage. Continuity at Groth Eric Fidel is the assistant winemaker for Groth Vineyards and Winery, a 1,200-ton operation based in the Napa Valley appellation of Oakville. Fidel has been part of the Groth team since 1998, and he has made wine since 1983. He and the Groth production team have been planning for harvest together for 15 years. Groth places high value on its employees, and the winery is rewarded with continuity in the planning process, avoiding harvest problems and ensuring wine quality. 1 Planning tools: Fidel pointed out that there "are no magic plan- ning tools to get ready for harvest." Projections are based on vineyard/crop estimates provided by vineyard manager Ben n ANDY STARR It's OK to Plan: Preparing for Harvest Winemaking My sense is that winemakers spend a lot of time in the vineyard, but not quite enough time getting the winery ready.