WORDS CARRY WEIGHT... but "harvest" carries more than most. It's a word full of potency, and sunlight, and richness, and bounty, and it stirs something deep inside our noggins, the place that longs for nature and connection. Okay, that's all serious stuff, but few times of the year are as ripe as that moment when grapes are ready on the vine and other fruits have come into their fullness. It's almost like we're seeing the seasons move when harvest arrives, and taking a day to appreciate it can simply be marked down as part of the happy human experience. A number of wine country organizations honor harvest each year with some special happenings, and The Heart of Sonoma Valley joins this tradition annually via its Sonoma Valley Crush weekend. The three-day party is spreading out smack dab in the middle of September — Sept. 16 through 18, so we weren't ribbing you on the "smack dab" part — and...
TICKETS ARE ON SALE... for the sip-and-see-things festival. There are thirteen participating wineries in all, including Loxton Cellars, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, and Mayo Family Winery, and the to-dos run the grapely gamut from grape tastings ("fresh off the vine," natch) to crush pad tours to the sipping of fermenting wine (a memorable experience) to the tasting of several of a winery's cab/chard/pinot/beyond offerings. Your three-day pass is $35, and your designated driver's pass is ten bucks. As for entering the world of harvestdom, that mellow time of year when grapes seem to glow and leaves are starting to think about turning and you can almost see the wheel of the seasons at work? You've got to take the moment when it comes around, and it comes around 'round these parts each September.
