It’s officially ON for the 2026 wine harvest at Opolo, and today we are picking our very first red grapes of the vintage—Zinfandel from Remo Belli Vineyard in the Adelaida District.
The early word on this harvest was, well, “early.” But now that we’re heading into the home stretch of the growing season, things are starting to even out. Let’s break it down…
EARLY TO RISE
In the wake of a relatively dry winter and mild start to spring, bud break occurred two weeks earlier than normal. “The timing of the growing season starts with bud break, and so things like spring flowering and summer ‘veraison’ (when the fruit turns color) also came early,” says Winemaker James Schreiner. “So the potential was there for a very early harvest.”
SPACED OUT
However, warm spells in Paso Robles this summer were followed by mild temperatures, which helped slow things down. James added that our westside Willow Creek District estates “haven’t been particularly hot,” so the pace of fruit ripening has been nicely measured.
“The actual hang time on the vine is in line with what we normally see, which means the color, flavors and acidity are enjoying plenty of time to come together nicely—which we always like to see as winemakers,” James says. “I thought we might already be kicking into high gear right now, but we aren’t.”
BOLD PREDICTIONS
All that said, Mother Nature can be a fickle friend, and there are still many weeks to go before the last grape picked. Pressed for a final prediction, James says, “If I had to put money on it, I think this current pattern will hold until the end. We’ll stay slightly ahead of normal on picking dates. Hang time will be great, and so will quality.”
There you have it. We will check back in later in this harvest season to let you know how it’s all playing out!
