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Victor Maccharoli - Danny Miles crushes a load of pinot grigio grapes in a stainless-steel wine press at the 5-year-old Oreana Winery at the corner of Anacapa and Yanonoli streets in Santa Barbara.

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Crush time: Wine being bottled on the South Coast

By RAY ESTRADA — Sep. 18, 2009

As the days get shorter, the work days get longer for the South Coast’s winemakers, who are excited about this year’s vintages.

In the past week, winemakers have been receiving shipments of grapes that have been mostly harvested in the Santa Ynez Valley and areas around Lompoc and Los Alamos.

“I didn’t bring in any grapes from Paso Robles this year,” said Christian Garvin, owner of 5-year-old Oreana Winery at the corner of Anacapa and Yanonoli streets in Santa Barbara as he watched one of his employees, Danny Miles, crush a load of pinot grigio grapes in a stainless-steel wine press.

Garvin said he was getting more juice from the pinot grigiot grapes this year.  A half-ton bin will make about 22 cases of pinot grigio wine, a usually tart, white wine that is best served almost cold.

After the grapes are crushed, the juice was transferred into a holding tank where eventually it will be put into about 240 bottles.

“This time of year is our busiest for making and selling wine,” Garvin said. He said wine lovers usually buy more wine between September and the end of the year because of the  many holidays during that period.

Across the street from Oreana, the work days are not only growing longer, but so are the winemakers’ beards.

Santa Barbara Winery assistant winemaker Ryan Ralston said it is a tradition that they don’t shave until after the crush season if finally over. That could be another month.

Ralston said about 20 tons of grapes came in Sept. 9 for crushing. They were mainly sauvignon blanc an pinot grigio, but some reds also arrived at the LaFond Winery for crushing.

“I’m looking forward to this year’s vintages,” said Ralston, who is marking his 13th crush season.

So is Garvin.

He’s bringing in some barbera and tempranillo grapes this year that he can’t wait to crush and bottle. Those grapes are Italian and Spanish, respectively.

Despite California’s third year of drought, Garvin said this will be another good year for wine.

“We haven’t really had a bad year since 2003,” he said.

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