Chardonnay at Hilltop Vineyard courtesy of Tirriddis.

Harvest has begun in the Columbia Valley. Tirriddis, a Washington sparkling wine producer, picked Chardonnay from Hilltop Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills on August 11^th. The fruit came from old vines planted in 1984.

This start to harvest is one week ahead of the average over the last 14 years. It is tied for the second earliest harvest during that time period. (See a table of growing season markers since 2013.)

Overall, the early start is consistent with how the 2026 growing season has been trending. Bud break started eight days ahead of recent averages; bloom was ten days ahead; and veraison started approximately three days ahead.

Growing Degree Days (GDD), a measure of heat accumulation, have tracked slightly above historical averages throughout the 2026 growing season. GDD for the 2026 growing season are slightly ahead of 2025 at this point in time.

Harvest for white grapes for still wines is expected to begin imminently.

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