Winemaking is tough work, especially during harvest, which often is a 60-day marathon with few - if any - days off as the grapes relentlessly arrive, oblivious to whatever else you might want to be doing. Such is the case with winemaking parents whose children play fall sports.

It's the day after Labor Day, and wine grape harvest in Washington should kick in today. We heard scattered reports about some white varieties (primarily Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris) being picked late last week, but the real work should begin now.

I was chatting with a couple of Washington winemakers today, and both indicated that some Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris would be harvested before the weekend.

This is slightly ahead of schedule, but these two white wine grapes don't necessarily need to get up to 24-25 brix to make delicious wines.