Grape blessing in Acampo celebrates start of the harvest

Jeff Irwin raises his glass in honor of the late Robert Mondavi on Thursday at the Woodbridge Winery Blessing of the Grapes. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Grape blessing in Acampo celebrates start of the harvest

By Marc Lutz
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Friday, August 8, 2008 6:31 AM PDT

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A breeze blew gently through Woodbridge Winery on Thursday as a crowd gathered to attend the 30th anniversary of the Blessing of the Grapes.

Each year, the blessing is held at the traditional start of the harvest season. This year, however, the blessing was held the same day as the beginning of the harvest. After the blessing was to wrap up, Woodbridge expected its first load of grapes.

Growers, vintners, harvest workers and others attended the rite, officiated by Monsignor Harmon Skillin of the Stockton Roman Catholic Diocese.

"This is the one year that I can remember nailing it," said Larry Pilmaier, manager of the Visitors Center at Woodbridge Winery. "The blessing is at 11 a.m. and the grapes start coming in at 1 p.m."

As workers at the winery prepared for the ceremony, Skillin reflected on his preparation for the blessing.

"I just whip out last year's blessing," Skillin quipped. However, on a more serious note, he said he extends the "blessing to cover everything."

Though the weather during the growing season was met with periods of harsh winds, frost and a brief spike in the heat, industry experts recounted that it had been otherwise moderate.

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"It looks pretty good and pretty good price-wise," said San Joaquin County Supervisor Ken Vogel. Though Vogel has known about the blessing, this was his first year at the gathering.

The grapes to be blessed — a load of Sauvignon Blanc — came from one of the vineyards of grower Stanton Lange, who estimates he'll supply the Woodbridge Winery with about 3,500 tons of grapes this harvest.

White grapes, such as the Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat, will be harvested until about the end of August. Red grapes like Zinfandel and Merlot will finish being harvested somewhere around the middle of October, according to Lange.

"It's all really dependent on the weather," Lange said.

Before the blessing, vice president and general manager of the winery, Mark Gabrielli, gave a toast to the man who he and many other area vintners and growers agree made Lodi the appellation it is today.

Monsignor Harmon Skillin's Blessing of the Grapes

"Dear God, we thank thee for these grapes.

We thank thee for those who brought us these grapes by working in the fields.

We thank thee for those who will now cause them to become your gift of wine.

Help us to see that all of this, the goodness of grapes and wine and the people that gather them together.

We ask you now to bless these grapes and harvest in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let them be and become a lasting sign of your goodness, your peace, your joy, your work."

"We're grateful for Mr. Mondavi. He had unbelievable vision. He had a passion for excellence. He had determination to succeed. He left us with a vibrant industry, a vibrant business," Gabrielli said, raising his glass and inviting others to do the same. "So join us as a team here at Woodbridge in this final salute to one great man. Salut/!"

Skillin, dressed in a white cassock adorned with a purple tippet decorated with green grape leaves, invited the crowd to pray with him, and then began the blessing. He read from the Old Testament book of Sirach (otherwise known as Ecclesiasticus) about moderation and good table manners.

The blessing was administered, and Skillin sprinkled Holy Water over the grapes. He said a final prayer, instructed everyone to go in peace and punctuated the entire blessing with: "Amen."

Pilmaier was optimistic about this year's harvest.

"I've heard it's going to be an excellent crop, but a light crop," Pilmaier said.

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.