(LIVERMORE, CA.) – Tuesday August 25, Livermore Wine Community staff along with the Board of Directors held the annual “Blessing of The Grapes” ceremony to honor and celebrate the coming and greatly anticipated grape harvest.
Photo Credit: Lvwine.org
The small gathering took place at Mitchell Katz Winery located at 2915 Vasco Road in Livermore, where local vintners and members of media were present to partake in the event. OpGov.News spoke with the Executive Director of the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation, Brandi Lombardi, to weigh in on the specifics of the event, what exactly happens there and the overall significance of the Blessing as it pertains to Livermore’s cultural history.
To start, Lombardi told us about how this year's blessing was different from prior years. She expressed that compared to prior years, this year was the earliest they experienced the harvest, so when the blessing of the grapes took place this year, it wasn’t the usual gathering that ushers in the harvest.
“This year, our Harvest has been earlier than we've ever had on record, but normally Harvest has not started when we do the blessing of the grapes, so normally it's a kickoff..”, Lombardi said. But who actually comes to bless the harvest?
Lombardi explained that vintners from all faiths come together and in their own way, come to pray over the crops. Rabbi Larry Milder, from Congregation Beth Emek, a synagogue in Pleasanton, and a father from the Oakland Diocese were some of the religious leaders that attended the harvest for instance.
Photo Credit: Lvwine.org
This celebration in camaraderie is deeply rooted in Livermore’s history. Being that the City of Livermore was founded in 1869, it is California’s oldest wine region. A deeper look into Livermore’s history of wine culture could be, in part, attributed to Charles Wetmore, a 19th century wine pioneer and Chief Executive Viticultural Officer for the Board of State Viticultural Commissioners, according to the City of Livermore’s Historic Context Statement.
Wetmore, working for an organization that helped to protect and grow California’s wine industry, wrote an article on the similarities between the soil in France’s Burgundy region and in Livermore Valley. With this knowledge, Wetmore subsequently founded the Cresta Blanca vineyard using vines that were cut and imported from the Château Margaux and Château d'Yquem vineyards located within France.
Photo Credit: Livermore.ca.gov
“The resulting wine was very similar to those produced in France, and quickly became very popular. It was found on wine lists at high-end hotels, restaurants, and clubs along the West Coast, and was served on Southern Pacific and Santa Fe dining cars, as well as Pacific Mail, Occidental, and Oriental Company steamships,” according to the Historic Context Statement.
In this context, Lombardi also emphasized that the blessing of the harvest is also meant to promote community, despite the event being closed to the public. “But with that said, you know, it's our tradition that we like people to understand is one that creates and promotes community. Knowing about this event helps people think about that [the] Harvest is upon us and we're excited to look at and talk about the next vintage in the award-winning wines that will soon be picked,” Lombardi said.
As the harvest arrives, residents will be able to try high quality wines at many of the different local vineyards in the Livermore area and other nearby wine regions in California.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email me at yikaileau.w@lead4earth.org.
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