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Harvest Season in Sonoma: What Actually Changes
Late August to November is the busiest and best-smelling stretch of the year — and the one to book earliest.
Harvest runs from late August into November across Sonoma and Napa, and it changes how a Wine Country trip feels: early crush pads, turning vineyards, and the busiest lodging season of the year.
What's said
If you're planning a Wine Country trip between late August and November, you're arriving in harvest, and it changes the whole experience. Crush pads start early, so the mornings smell like fermenting fruit. The vineyards turn colour.
Most wineries add harvest events to their calendars, which is either the reason to come or the thing to plan around. Two practical notes. Book your room further ahead than you think, because this is the busiest lodging stretch of the year.
And check the official tourism calendars the week you travel, since the smaller events get added late, and we would rather point you somewhere accurate than guess. Town by town guides are at Modern Love Living.
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