Best Time of the Year for Wine Tourists to Visit the California Wine Country
First off ANY time is a great time to visit the California wine country. Each season of the year brings its own unique experiences and feel to a wine country visit. It need not be sunny – a cool drizzly day in wine country has its unique and intimate charm.
Winter months of December and January
The wineries are much less crowded. You won’t need to fight the early summer and Autumn crowds and the traffic, particularly in the more popular wine regions of California such as Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, Try the lesser known regions like Paso Robles (north of San Luis Obispo), Lodi, Amador County and the Sierra foothills e.g. Calaveras County near Sacramento. The vines are dormant, showing rows and lines of bare trellising, not particularly photogenic but remember – the vines are resting before another growing season.
February
Wild mustard flowers, wildflowers, and other cover crop bloom in the vineyards. It is “photo opportunity” time in the wine country.
March and April
The vines awaken and begin to bud. Wine country wildflowers are in bloom and a delight to view.
May through August
The vines become full of vegetation, and in the June July timeframe the grapes begin to show, in August even more so. It is warm to hot in most areas of the wine country so dress accordingly but plan for cool evenings. There are great expectations for the coming harvest. Many tourists travel during this time and weekend crowds can be considerable.
September, October
This is harvest time in the wine country. It’s a time of heavy activity at the wineries wine making crews get little rest. It can be a great time to visit a winery during the harvest, hopefully yher winery has staff to attend to visitors while the crush crew toils. The harvest time varies depending on the climate and region. Beware of the crowds at this time of the year.
November
The vines and trees show off fall colors. This is truly the most beautiful time in wine country. It is another great photo opportunity.
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Nice concise overview of the seasons of California wine country from both the perspective of winemaking and what to expect as a visitor throughout the year! I agree that “ANY time is a great time to visit the California wine country.”
Great Article.