Still hanging in there

We're both wondering when the grape harvest will begin. The grapes are looking pretty ripe, but looks, of course, don't count. What counts is the amount of sugar in the grapes vs. acid, something the growers test with a tool called a refractometer. I've seen the growers out back testing the grapes this way over the years, but not yet this year. Other factors come into play as well, but I'm not an expert.

Ripening grapes getting close to harvest time.

I have seen some of the vineyard workers out there doing something. I guess that they're preparing the rows for the mechanical harvesters, cutting back overgrown vines and clearing away anything (like weeds or damaged grape bunches) that shouldn't be sucked into them. Before long we'll be hearing the hum of the harvesting machines, but not before a few of the parcels get harvested by hand.