These days, everything seems to be a little easier thanks in large part to the internet. What used to take days, weeks, even months of digging through dusty papers and fragile microfiche in the library is now at your fingertips via online archives and resource sites. The phone book I had delivered to my house last week?… a good fire starter considering I have a handy app on my smartphone that doesn’t leave my fingers black. And of course it’s almost too easy keeping up with friends and family through the use of email, blogs and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

But one of the best reasons to love social media these days is the opportunity to follow people and events all over the world without leaving the comfort of your living room. During the exciting time in the Northern Hemisphere wine world that is late August through October, there’s no better place to be than behind the monitor following all your favorite producers. Aside from actually visiting all your favorite wine regions and estates, which is totally awesome if you have a limitless money supply but not completely accessible to most, there’s no better way to keep tabs on this year’s harvest without spending a dime.

Of course, during these months we’re talking about the Northern Hemisphere wine producing regions. The harvest typically occurs from February to April in the Southern Hemisphere, about 6 months ahead of the Northern frontier.

And since there are so many factors that influence the harvest, it’s informative and fun to see, hear or read about the different ways that each individual winery approaches it. Although it’s usually determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape (by sugar, acid and tannin levels through various scientific and experience driven techniques), there are so many additional considerations to be weighed before making that final decision: final style of wine to be produced, the weather (the most ominous and troublesome of circumstances), the amount of time it will take to harvest depending on whether you’re hand harvesting or going the mechanical route, and so much more.

Although this might sound a bit geeky to most, it helps foster a better understanding and increased appreciation for the wines that we all love so much and the fabulous, hard-working folks who make them. When you have a thin, lackluster ‘02 Barolo, you can connect the unfavorable weather and hailstorms with the resulting quality of the wine. Some winemakers in South Australia had trouble in 2008, when halfway through the vintage (and before some folks had decided to start harvesting) a heat spike swept through and cooked up any fruit still hanging on the vines, resulting in high alcohol levels, stuck fermentations and volatile acidity for some unfortunate few. It’s a gamble and a crapshoot that’s based in skill, experience, expertise and quick-thinking, and watching it all unfold is like tuning in to a wine soap opera.

So be sure to start following your favorite wineries and winemakers on Twitter, Facebook and on their harvest blogs today to catch all the action right from the start. Here’s some of my favorite blog spots from 2009 (and I’m sure the 2010 coverage will begin any day now if not already):

http://jvineyards.blogspot.com/
http://napavintners.blogspot.com/
http://blog.hugel.com/en/harvest/

http://domainesereneharvest.blogspot.com/

lenndevours.com (New York Cork Report)

Or just search for “Wine Harvest 2010” in posts by everyone on Facebook or on Twitter and see what the news of the day is!

I’d love to hear some of your favorite harvest stories, or the producers you like to keep an eye on.

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