How is COVID-19 changing the 2020 harvest? Lytle-Barnett case study

After having a successful harvest in the early part of September, the sparkling wine producer Lytle-Barnett based in the Eola-Amity Hills, has been lucky enough to avoid the fire and smoke. On top of the fire there, was of course the continued challenge of the pandemic, making masked, socially distant picking and sorting a mandatory affair.  Despite everything, the team has risen from this year's many challenges to make what promises to be a great vintage sparkling wine that we’re very excited about.

A few words from the team:

"This year immediately made us think of ‘96 in Champagne. Producers in France slugged it out with frigid temperatures and challenging weather events for the entire growing season. Those producers who were patient, waited for the Indian summer to arrive, and tended their vineyards carefully through the challenges were rewarded with some of the most age-worthy Champagnes that have ever been put in a bottle: a benchmark that we aspire to in the creation of our sparkling wines.

Our patience and determination have huge advantages in this 2020 harvest. We’re intensely optimistic about the quality of the vintage. We produce at an artisanal level; only a few thousand cases this year, and an almost equal split between each of our bottlings. This volume enabled us to ensure quality as paramount.

All of this is to say that we’re hopeful. As Leonard Cohen says, “there’s a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in."