Sore backs, finger cuts, dirt and sweat, and a whole new respect for wine are all things Bob and Kathy Thomson walked away with after a morning spent picking grapes in Santa Maria Valley wine country.
On Sept. 14, Cottonwood Canyon Winery invited customers to participate in the first day of the 2012 grape harvest. They labored side by side with the winery’s vineyard workers for four hours picking grapes, and then watched those same grapes get pressed and the juice pumped into a tank.
The Thomsons of Pismo Beach and a couple dozen others harvested 8,000 pounds of Pinot Noir that morning. At first, it was fun in the cool morning fog, but a couple hours into the job, the novelty wore off.
“It was harder than I ever could have expected,” Kathy admitted. “We were filthy from head to toe, your back hurts, I cut myself three times with the scissors. It’s hard, hard work, and those people that do it every day are phenomenal! They are fast, and they know what they’re doing.”
Her husband Bob joined Cottonwood’s wine club earlier this year. He jumped at the chance to get hands-on viticulture experience, and he quickly came to appreciate all the work that goes into winemaking.
“A brand new appreciation,” Bob exclaimed. “We’ll enjoy every sip of Cottonwood Canyon wine from here on out. It’s just wonderful.”
And that’s precisely what the day was designed to do, according to winery owner/winemaker Norm Beko.
“It’s nice when people get done picking—they never complain about the price of a bottle of wine anymore,” Beko said. “It gives them a deeper appreciation of wine, so we invite customers to come out and [pick grapes] and to bottle, because those things show you there’s so much manpower and labor involved to make a good bottle of wine.”
By 1 o’clock, we gathered at the shaded patio next to the wine caves and enjoyed a delicious luncheon catered by Chef Nick Nolan and Central City Market in Santa Maria, paired with Cottonwood Canyon Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Second Chance Winery Rosé—wines made a few years earlier from the same vineyard where everyone toiled earlier in the day.
Beko has been in the business a long time; this is his 22nd harvest in the Santa Maria Valley.
“So I’ve successfully lost money now for 22 years in a row,” he told me.
In all seriousness, Beko said things are looking up at Cottonwood Canyon, after several slow years in the wine industry.
“After the big recession, we’re seeing a big traffic change. We’re seeing a significant increase in people joining our wine club again,” Beko said.
He credits two things: “I think the beauty of the property and the quality of the product. I mean, the property attracts people, and that’s very helpful.”
Founded in 1988, Cottonwood Canyon was among the first dozen wineries to open in Santa Barbara County.
The winery and vineyards are located 10 minutes east of Santa Maria on a sandy mesa on 78 acres. They specialize in handcrafted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; their slogan is “distinctively different age worthy wines.”
The Thomsons plan to return to Cottonwood Canyon with their new perspective, and with a carload of new customers.
“This is one of our favorite places to come bring friends who come and visit,” Kathy said of the tasting room that overlooks picturesque vineyard-filled canyons.
Cottonwood Canyon’s Santa Maria tasting room is at 3940 Dominion Road. It’s open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They offer wine cave tours and barrel tasting on the weekends at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The phone number is 937-8463.
The winery’s downtown Santa Barbara tasting room is at 224 Anacapa St. and is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cottonwood Canyon Winery holds numerous events throughout the year. Watch for details about their Halloween party in the caves later this month. Cottonwood’s Christmas in the Caves happens in early December.
For more information, visit cottonwoodcanyon.com.
Sun food and wine writer Wendy Thies Sell believes everything tastes better when enjoyed with friends. You can contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 11-18, 2012.