Wine grape harvest begins in SLO County. Why 2025 was a ‘perfect growing season’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cool, dry 2025 growing season in SLO County led to extended grape ripening.
- Winemakers avoided major weather issues, improving fruit health and flavor.
- Low rainfall challenged vines, but mild temperatures preserved grape quality.
Winemakers across San Luis Obispo County are gradually amping up grape-picking production as the 2025 growing season comes to an end.
This year, the annual harvest schedule got off to a relatively slow start, local winemakers told The Tribune.
White wine grapes, including chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, were the first varietals to be plucked off vines beginning at the tail end of August and early September. Red wine grapes will continue to be harvested through October at least.
“This year’s growing season has been delightfully boring,” said Jason Haas, partner and general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles. “In general, a great growing season is a growing season with the absence of devastating events.”
He noted the Paso Robles region has been lucky enough to escape devastating weather events — avoiding biting spring frosts, big wind gusts during flowering, intense heat spikes and smoke damage from the Gifford and Madre fires.
Instead, this year’s grapes have been tested by remarkably chilly temperatures paired with drier-than-usual conditions, according to Christopher Taranto, communications director for the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.
Here’s what to know about the 2025 vintage coming out of SLO County.
Will cool, dry weather affect SLO County wines?
San Luis Obispo County received lower-than-average amounts of rainfall for the 2024-25 water year, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Paso Robles had only received 57% of its average water amount as of Friday, Sept. 26, while San Luis Obispo was at 70% of its typical rainfall, the weather service said.
This meant that less groundwater was available to roots.
In a warm year, that could have resulted in disastrous conditions for grapes, Taranto explained.
However, a temperate spring and summer allowed plants to fare pretty well despite the lack of rainfall, he said.
Taranto said that mild, steady temperatures along with “one of the coolest summers on record,” actually benefited local grape producers this season.
Haas called 2025 “the perfect growing season, if you could design it from scratch.”
He said grape vines at Tablas Creek Vineyard maintained their health and vigor through a cooler-than-usual June and July, before warm but not scorching temperatures landed in August with many days in the 90s.
According to Taranto, this combination of elements permitted an extended, balanced ripening period and helped vines form healthier canopies and uniform wine grape clusters.
“The temperate conditions allowed fruit to achieve full flavor development without excessive sugars, preserving natural acidity and freshness,” he said.
Local wine harvest season off to slow start
Tablas Creek Vineyard began harvesting grapes at the end of August, a typical time frame for the winery, Haas said.
“With the cooler weather the last two weeks, we’re going a little slower than we normally would … but quality looks great,” Haas said. “Quantity looks like the best it’s been in five years.”
2025’s harvest may stretch a few weeks later than typical due to cooler temperatures and fewer summer heat waves, possibly pushing into November, according to Taranto.
Chris Eberle, winemaker at Eberle Winery in Paso Robles, said he was unbothered by the sluggish pace of this year’s harvest season. The winery started picking chardonnay grapes on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
“Things are just going to kind of trickle in, which is great, because it allows us to really get everything done right,” Eberle told The Tribune.
Brianne Engles, the winemaker at Chamisal Vineyards in San Luis Obispo, also said she was pleased by the leisurely pace of this year’s havest since it allowed for grapes to hang on the vines longer.
“(When) you’re not rushed to pick something because of incremental weather or drought or heat wave or something like that, you’re able to be kind of patient,” Engles said. “You’re able to really kind of take your time and pick at an optimal time ... which is great.”
Did wildfire smoke taint Edna Valley wines?
Smoke from California’s largest wildfire of the year — the Gifford Fire — resulted in hazy skies and unhealthy air conditions in SLO County. The fire blazed through more than 100,000 acres in August.
At the time, winemakers in San Luis Obispo’s Edna Valley were anxious that wine grapes could be tainted by lingering wildfire smoke.
“There was a lot of kind of nervousness around that,” Engles recalled. “We did some pretty extensive testing for smoke taint, which all came back negative. So we kind of dodged a bullet there, but that was definitely a concern for us earlier in the season.”
Engles, who sits on the board of directors for the SLO Coast Wine Collective, said she had heard of a couple of local winemakers who had positive hits for smoke taint, but “nothing on a wide scale,” she said.
What will 2025 vintage taste like?
There’s historical precedence that this year’s chilly temperatures may lead to better, more nuanced wines.
According to Taranto, Paso Robles experienced a cooler-than-usual summer in 2023, which resulted in a vintage with more subtle flavors.
“What we’re seeing in bottle from ’23 — everybody’s really stoked,” he said.
The wines coming out of SLO County in 2025 may end up being less bold and pronounced because temperatures weren’t as hot, he said.
Taranto said the 2025 vintage could include leaner taste profiles — such as white pepper instead of black pepper in some reds, or more floral hints instead of tropical flavors for some white wines.
“I think it’s going to be really, really, really awesome,” Taranto said.
Haas said he’s also seen better-than-average acid levels in Tablas Creek grapes this season, which has allowed the winery to leave grapes on the vine for longer. The greater hang time will ultimately give the 2025 vintage more character, he said.
It’s still too early to fully predict the quality of the 2025 vintage, Haas said, but added it’s “generally going to be a vintage with both good intensity and good freshness.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Wine grape harvest begins in SLO County. Why 2025 was a ‘perfect growing season’."
