SOMM TV wine & food Episode 267: Harvest is a B1tch
Oct 17, 2025
Join seasoned winemakers Steve Matthiasson from Napa, Amy Christine from Santa Barbara, and Travis Todd from Willamette Valley as they share wild harvest tales. Steve dives into chaotic logistics and natural pest control methods. Amy reveals her experience with Pierce’s disease and a hilarious mishap involving ants and grape must. Meanwhile, Travis discusses Oregon’s smooth vintage, highlighted by a stolen trailer fiasco. Get ready for laughter and insightful stories from the grape harvest trenches!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Nature Does Most Pest Control
- Steve Matthiasson explains biological pest control using tiny parasitic wasps and predatory mites in vineyards.
- These natural enemies provide the majority of effective pest management, reducing chemical reliance.
Box Mix-Up Nearly Lost A Client's Fruit
- Steve recounts a chaotic multi-client pick where mislabeled boxes nearly left a client without fruit.
- The crew had to transfer harvested fruit between boxes by hand to correct the mix-up.
Coastal Weather Makes Ripening Precarious
- Steve highlights how small coastal weather shifts make harvest planning fragile.
- Minor model errors can change ripening outcomes between safe heat and damaging heat.