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CapitalPress.com
September 9, 2016
Working at vineyard ‘about the ritual’
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
Third-generation Cali-
fornian Sean Garvey admits
he had no thought of return-
ing to the family’s vine-
yards after college.
“My parents moved
to Napa in 1977 because
my grandfather bought a
ranch there with the plan
to retire,” he said. “He fell
in love with the land and
called it ‘a piece of heaven’
— especially because the
kids were nearby.”
Garvey’s parents, Julie
and Pat Garvey, and her
brother and his wife, John
and Carrie Komes, founded
the winery.
Julie and John ran the
winery and Pat Garvey ran
the vineyard side of the
family business.
“The industry was pret-
ty young back then and ev-
eryone was still learning,”
Garvey said. “But there was
a real sense of community
where people were willing
to help each other.”
He grew up working with
his dad and then entered Cal
Poly in San Luis Obispo
with a focus on music, writ-
ing and other pursuits.
Viticulture was abso-
lutely not in the future, but
a summer stay in Europe
“turned the light on,” he
said.
“I lived with a family in
Spain while I was studying
and each night that we sat
down to dinner they would
open up a bottle of wine,”
he said. “It was not so much
about the quality of the
wine but more about the rit-
ual of it. It allowed us all to
slow down and enjoy both
the meal and the company.
“This is why I’m in the
wine business. It’s about the
ritual and working along-
side my family.”
As viticulture manager,
Garvey oversees all day-
to-day operations: from ne-
gotiating contracts to new
plantings, spraying and oth-
er programs.
Harvest is the most in-
tense time of the year be-
cause of the small window
and things are moving fast.
“We focus on Bordeaux
varieties on 300 acres in 10
different locations,” he said.
They start picking at
around 2 a.m. so they can
get fruit to the winery be-
fore the weather gets warm,
which can degrade the qual-
ity of the grapes.
“We try to finish the day
by 11 in the morning. This
schedule also protects vine-
yard workers from picking
in the hot sun,” he said. “We
pick Sauvignon Blanc early,
then Chardonnay. Cabernet
Sauvignon is the last grape
harvested.”
Garvey said although the
quantity of the 2016 harvest
has been down, the quality
won’t suffer. He predicts a
“tremendous” year in spite
of the challenges.
“The spread of red blotch
and leaf roll viruses and
trunk diseases keep me up
at night,” he said. “Sourcing
clean planting material is
also an ongoing challenge.”
The love of the land and
the people that work there
rise above the problems.
“There is a culture and
work ethic in the vineyards
that is inspiring and unique
Vineyard Operators - when it’s
time to prune, harvest, or
keep the weeds at bay,
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Our knowledgeable staff will work with
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Courtesy of Garvey-Komes Ranches
Sean Garvey, viticulture manager at Garvey-Komes Ranches in the Napa Valley, Calif., predicts a
“tremendous” 2016 harvest.
when compared to other
working environments,” Gar-
vey said. “I also enjoy work-
ing alongside my dad. I have
great respect for the work he
has done to help create and
improve farmworker housing
in Napa Valley and the integ-
rity with which he runs our
business.”
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