When you open a bottle of Beringer wine, you are tasting the result of a year's worth of decisions in the vineyard, a harvest managed down to the hour, and months or years of aging in the cellar. The grape that becomes the wine begins its journey in early spring and ends it in your glass. Here is the full story of how it gets there.
At a Glance
- Winemaker: Ryan Rech, Senior Winemaker and General Manager, Beringer Vineyards
- Key Stages: Bud break, flowering and fruit set, thinning and canopy management, veraison, harvest, winery processing
- Where It Happens: Beringer's estate vineyards in Napa Valley and Knights Valley, Sonoma County
Stage 1: Bud Break
The growing season begins in spring when the vines come out of winter dormancy and push out small, leafy green buds. Photosynthesis restarts and the first signs of the new vintage appear.
Bud break is one of the most vulnerable moments in the vineyard calendar. A single night of frost can destroy an emerging bud and eliminate a cluster before it ever forms. Vineyard teams at Beringer monitor conditions closely and deploy fans and other frost protection systems to keep the nascent growth alive through its first weeks.
Stage 2: Flowering and Fruit Set
In mid-April through early May, the vines develop small bunches of tiny flowers. Each flower has the potential to become a grape berry, and the vine pollinates itself in a process that determines how many clusters will form. After fertilization, the flowers drop their petals and baby grapes appear in what is known as fruit set. At this stage, the berries are hard, green, and barely visible.
Stage 3: Thinning and Canopy Management
One of the practices that distinguishes Napa Valley viticulture is deliberate crop thinning: the intentional removal of unripe grape clusters before they have a chance to develop. Fewer clusters per vine means the plant concentrates its energy and nutrients into the remaining fruit, which produces smaller berries with more concentrated flavors, tannins, and color.
Alongside thinning, vineyard teams remove leaves and thin shoots around the remaining clusters to create the right balance of sun exposure, shade, and air circulation. The goal is to give each cluster optimal conditions for even, unhurried ripening.
Stage 4: Veraison
As summer progresses, the grape clusters begin to change color. Chardonnay shifts from opaque green to translucent yellow-green. Cabernet Sauvignon moves from hard, dark green to deep red. This color change, known as veraison, marks the grape's final major transition before harvest.
Over the following six to eight weeks, the vine draws nutrients and energy up from its roots into the berries. Acidity drops; sugar levels rise. Beringer's winemaking team, led by Senior Winemaker Ryan Rech, monitors sugar levels (measured in Brix) and other phenolic compounds daily as the grapes approach maturity, watching for the precise moment when the fruit is ready.
Stage 5: Harvest
Harvest is the culmination of everything the vintage has built toward. The timing matters more than almost any other decision in winemaking: too early and the wine lacks depth; too late and the freshness is gone.
For Beringer, harvest typically begins in early August with Chardonnay and other white varietals, which ripen first. Cabernet Sauvignon and other red varieties follow through late summer and fall, often running into October. Each vineyard is picked at its own optimal moment, not according to a schedule.
Stage 6: At the Winery
Once picked, the grapes arrive at the winery and the pace accelerates. Cellar teams conduct triage, sorting out underripe or damaged clusters before the grapes are crushed to separate juice from skins. The juice is then pumped into fermentation vessels, where yeasts convert sugars into alcohol.
The specifics of fermentation vary by wine and by Ryan Rech's decisions for each lot. Once fermentation is complete, the wine moves into barrels to begin aging, and the active, urgent work of harvest gives way to the patient, attentive work of the cellar.
From Vine to Glass
The lifecycle of a Beringer grape spans a full calendar year in the vineyard and often another year or more in barrel, depending on the wine. Every bottle in the portfolio is the result of that full arc: the bud break watched over in April, the clusters thinned in summer, the harvest called at exactly the right moment, and the barrel work that follows.
That is what is in the glass.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does harvest happen at Beringer?
Harvest at Beringer typically begins in early August with Chardonnay and other white varietals and continues through late summer and fall for red varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer's flagship grape, generally reaches peak maturity in September and October, though the timing varies by vintage and vineyard.
What is veraison?
Veraison is the stage in the grape's development when the berries begin to change color and composition. White varieties shift from opaque green to translucent gold; red varieties move from hard green to deep red or purple. During and after veraison, the grapes lose acidity and increase sugar levels as the vine channels energy into the fruit in preparation for harvest.
What is Brix in winemaking?
Brix is a measurement of the sugar concentration in grape juice. Winemakers use Brix readings to monitor how ripe the grapes are and to time the harvest. Higher Brix levels indicate more sugar, which ferments into more alcohol. The target Brix at harvest varies by varietal, style of wine, and the winemaker's preferences for the final product.
What is thinning in viticulture?
Crop thinning is the deliberate removal of grape clusters from the vine before they reach maturity. By reducing the total number of clusters, the vine concentrates its resources into the remaining fruit, producing smaller berries with higher skin-to-juice ratios, more concentrated flavors, and deeper color and tannin. Thinning is a widely practiced technique in Napa Valley and is one of the quality-focused practices that distinguishes premium winemaking from high-volume production.
Who is Ryan Rech?
Ryan Rech is the Senior Winemaker and General Manager of Beringer Vineyards. He oversees the estate's full winemaking program, from vineyard management decisions through harvest and cellar aging, and is responsible for continuing the legacy of the Private Reserve portfolio first established by Myron Nightingale and Ed Sbragia in 1977.
SHOP PRIVATE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Want to experience Beringer's winemaking heritage firsthand? The Taste of Beringer Tour at the historic Rhine House connects wine, food, and the estate's 150-year story in a single sitting.
