AFFECTIONATELY CALLED "THE BIG CRUSH" held each year during the first weekend of October.

Thousands of wine enthusiasts from all over California and beyond descend upon Amador County to experience the Amador Vintners Harvest Wine Festival, affectionately called the “The Big Crush” at 35 participating wineries.The Big Crush is literally a celebration of harvest time in wine country and usually occurs on the first weekend of October. At harvest time, local grape growers and winemakers are constantly checking on the weather, checking on the ripeness of grapes in the vineyards, checking on the Brix content which is a measurement of the approximate amount of sugar within the grapes and a hundred more things in order to decide that exact moment when the grapes are ready for picking. This decision is more of an art than a science and marks the beginning of transforming grapes from the vineyards into wine from the bottle.

In the midst of all this feverish harvest activity, the wineries belonging to the Amador Vintner’s Association also somehow find the time to put on two glorious days of its Harvest Wine Festival. The public having purchased their tickets to attend this annual event, enjoy tasting world class wines from their favorite wineries or discover new wineries and wines, they savor delicious homemade and catered foods and listen to lively music from numerous country, folk and rock and roll bands.

We invite you to come and try the rich, robust wines of Amador County in California’s picturesque Sierra Foothills. Tickets for Big Crush will be available for purchase starting July 1st via the Amador Vintners Website www.amadorwine.com.