The 2020 Grape Harvest; Like No Other

   So we've got this pandemic thingy with businesses opening and closing again; the number or cases flattening then rising again; and who knows what the actual flu season will bring. Every year the wine grape harvest relies on a temporary influx of workers in the vineyards and in the cellar.

California farmworkers
image from americanprogress.org

In the vineyard

   The picking of the fruit is traditionally done by migrant Hispanic workers. They don't necessarily work that close together, but for economic reasons often live very close together in shared housing. About a month ago a Sonoma Valley winery had 14 workers come down with the Coronavirus. This could potentially get a lot worse with the influx of picking crews. There are new protocols put in place for safety, but everybody is learning as they go.
   This starts about the first of August then really ramps up for September and October. A large outbreak could mean some grapes don't get picked.

In the wine cellar

   The interns that process the grapes and turn it into wine have traditionally come from younger folks from all over the world, usually from other grape-growing regions like France, Italy, Australia and Argentina. In 2020 I'd expect few, if any, foreign workers wanting to come to the U.S. This means relying on out of work local folks.
   The work starts in August. California wineries would usually have their cellar interns lined up by now. As of the second week of July there are still plenty of jobs listed on the winejobs.com website. What is likely to happen is the few people that do take harvest intern jobs will work very long hours.
   These folks often work closely together and out-of-the-area people often share accommodations to save money. There is likelihood of an outbreak. If it strikes a particular winery they may have to shut down processing of the fruit at a very inopportune time with a potential loss of wine.

Risks

   Yes, there's a risk some or a lot of wine may not get made this year. It's bad enough when you have to worry about the weather, but now you add this unknown. The Southern Hemisphere did do much of their harvest during the start of the pandemic so we have them to learn from.
   Some wineries are already in bad financial shape with the shutdown of their businesses. If they are unable to make enough wine this year that could be what puts some or them over the edge.