After months of preparation, planning, and watching the growing season unfold, the first bins of grapes have arrived. Suddenly, the quiet of summer gives way to the familiar sounds of harvest: trucks pulling in, bins being moved, grapes hitting the sorting table, and the steady hum of a busy cellar.

Harvest 2026 is officially underway in the Willamette Valley.

The growing season was shaped by a summer that gave the vines plenty of warmth. Long stretches of dry, sunny weather helped move the growing season along, and as summer turned toward fall, we began watching the fruit more closely. For a winery like Dobbes, which works with fruit from vineyards throughout Oregon, harvest is a season of watching and waiting. We’re constantly talking with our growers, checking on vineyard conditions, and keeping an eye on how the weather is influencing ripening across different sites.

And then, finally, the fruit starts arriving. The first bins are always exciting. They represent months of work in the vineyard before the fruit ever reaches us, and now it’s our turn to take over. Once the grapes arrive, there’s no time to waste. Fruit is unloaded, sorted, and processed before making its way into tanks or other vessels to begin the next stage of its journey.

The weather remains a big part of the conversation. After a warm and relatively dry summer, the recent change toward cooler fall conditions is a welcome reminder that harvest is always a moving target. A few days of weather can influence timing, and each vineyard and variety has its own schedule.

Right now, we’re still at the beginning, with plenty of work still ahead of us. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing what harvest looks like from our side of the cellar doors, from the fruit coming in to the wines beginning to ferment and, eventually, the first hints of what this vintage might become.

Cheers!

Derek Einberger, Winemaker