Your chance to get closer to harvest

If it's a taste of harvest you seek, you've come to the right place. We're up to our ears in the crush this time of year, from the trucks rumbling along appellation roads to the smell of fermenting grapes in the air. Chances to participate are many, from sitting on a rickety porch watching the wine world go by to getting your hands plenty dirty picking and sorting. Here are some to consider:

Join Ravenswood wine educator Dave Miles on Thursday for a narrated walk in the historic Bedrock Vineyard in the Valley of the Moon, which is owned by Ravenswood founder and winemaker Joel Peterson. Enjoy a Sonoma bounty of artisan cheeses, patés and breads paired with Ravenswood Bedrock Vineyard wines. Limited to 10 people, the tour departs at 10 a.m. from the Ravenswood winery. $125. 18701 Gehricke Road, Sonoma, 933-2332, www.ravenswood-wine.com.

Experience the grape harvest with St. Supery's winemaking team on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning the day with breakfast and a vineyard tour followed by instruction on grape harvesting and an old-fashioned grape stomp. Before the day's glorious lunch is a behind-the-scenes tour of the winery's cellar. Space is limited. $295. 8440 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford, (800) 942-0809, www.stsupery.com.

The general store's outside porch is the perfect vantage point for watching the goings on of harvest — the trucks loaded with grapes making their way in and out of the Dry Creek Valley, the workers stopping by for lunch, the picking crews taking up residence in the tiny bar in the late afternoon, the locals stopping by in the evenings for Thursday night barbecues. Plus, the foccacia sandwiches are great. 3495 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 433-4171, www.dcgstore.com.

Winemaker David Coffaro, a producer of zinfandel, petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon, carignane and more, has been blogging about his growing and winemaking experiences for years and within his “Dave's Diary,” provides enough data and up-to-the-minute weather information to please the most passionate of wine geeks. For a look at the real thing, take vineyard tours by appointment, Fridays at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. 7485 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville, 433-9715, www.coffaro.com.

Get a feel for the wine life at Fantesca Estate and Winery's Hands-On Harvest on Oct. 10, a day of learning and luxury at the 9-acre Spring Mountain estate, with owners Susan and Duane Hoff, associate winemaker Jon Leahy and the harvest crew. Who knows, head winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett might stop by. The day includes picking and sorting, lunch, plenty of wine tasting and swimming. Limited to 16 people. $175. 2920 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, 968-0890, www.fantesca.com.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Iron Horse is one of Sonoma County's most consistently rated sparkling wine producers and a delicious example of why Green Valley, the tiny, fog-filled appellation next to the Russian River Valley, is ideal for pinot and chardonnay. On Aug. 30, the winery hosts a special anniversary food and wine pairing, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring the winery's wines with exquisite heirloom tomatoes also grown on the property. Also, every Friday at 10 a.m., Iron Horse winemaker David Munksgard guides visitors through the sparkling winery's vineyards and cellar, starting the day with a glass of bubbly, of course. By appointment. 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol, 887-1507, www.ironhorsevineyards.com.

On Aug. 29, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers host the ultimate harvest party, the proceeds of which help fund their programs to preserve and promote Napa Valley vineyards. Held at the historic Gamble Ranch in Oakville, Stomp features plenty of food (Spanish paella, Argentinean asado, roasted pig, Mexican ceviche and oysters on the half shell) and wine but also the chance to meet the growers who tend the grapes and make the wines. A live auction offers a number of one-of-a-kind Napa Valley vineyard experiences, too, from a private vineyard walk and blending workshop at Opus One to a full-scale harvest immersion of harvesting and crushing grapes with Napa Valley Grapegrowers' Grower of the Year Andy Hoxsey. For a more one-on-one chance to hang out with growers, consider attending one of the grape grower luncheons earlier in the day ($200; noon to 2 p.m.) 6 to 10 p.m. $100. State Lane, Oakville, 944-8311, www.harveststomp.org.

Pick, cut, stomp, blend, eat and drink during this very popular grape camp, scheduled for Sept. 21-23 this year, its third, and organized by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. Get an up-close, participatory look at how harvest works at such local wineries as Arista, Gloria Ferrer, St. Francis, Stonestreet and Mauritson with food-related stops at Relish Culinary School and an intimate dinner at Rodney Strong proprietor Tom Klein's Alexander Valley home. $1,750, accommodation included. 522-5860, www.sonomagrapecamp.com.

Every fall, Schramsberg Vineyards assembles a group of sparkling-wine lovers to get their hands on how the harvesting and winemaking of sparkling wines works. Camp Schramsberg, Sept. 13 to 15 this year, kicks off with a sunset dinner in the vineyards with chef/enologist Holly Peterson and chief winemaker Hugh Davies. Campers then start off the next morning by harvesting grapes, followed by riddling lessons, cave tours, interactive sessions on food and wine pairing, menu planning and even the lost art of how to open a sparkling wine bottle with a saber. $1,100 not including accommodation. 1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga, 942-6668, www.schramsberg.com.

Virginie Boone is a freelance wine writer based in Sonoma County. She can be reached at virginieboone@yahoo.com.