9 Beers Winemakers Drink When the Last Thing They Want to Drink Is Wine

Winemaking and harvest is sticky, loud, and tiresome business that involves early mornings, heavy loads, and lots of machinery. The wine produced makes it all worth it, but so does a cold beer at the end of a long harvest day. It’s a brief respite before an 8 p.m. bedtime and waking up before dawn to do it all over again. 

Grape harvest can start in late July and continue through early November, especially in cooler climates. Since grapes need to be picked and sent to the winery before they heat up too much from daytime temperatures, most harvesting teams complete their work before sunrise. That means alarm clocks blare as early as midnight to provide ample time to pick grapes.

It may come as a surprise that winemakers drink beer during harvest, and sometimes just beer. But when most waking moments revolve around grapes, the last thing many want is a glass of wine. Simple, refreshing, and not too thought-provoking brews are prized. 

“It takes a lot of cheap beer to make great wine,” says Dave Cho, winemaker and co-founder of CHO wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Here are nine beers that winemakers enjoy during harvest.

Carefree and crushable

Modelo

For Jasmine Hirsch, winemaker at Hirsch Vineyards in Sonoma Coast, an ice-cold Modelo shared with the vineyard crew is the best way to cap a day's work. “I drink very little beer, but I make an exception during harvest,” says Hirsch. She’ll drink whatever her team hands her, most often a Modelo, a crisp, pilsner-style lager from Mexico. 

“The other day, our vineyard crew were drinking Modelos and eating beef stew made by one of our longtime vineyard workers, Jhoni Enriquez, who is an amazing chef,” says Hirsch. “I joined them for a bowl and a can."

Peroni

A light lager is the choice for winemaker Krystal Patel of Meierstone Vineyards in Texas Hill Country. An Italian lager like Peroni has the crisp flavor profile and low ABV (4.7% ABV) Patel looks for after a long harvest day. But she’d also gladly sip a Bud Light or Tecate. 

"I drink beer regularly during harvest because it's a refreshing change from being surrounded by the aroma and taste of wine all day,” says Patel. “Admittedly, my palate for beers is not developed like it is for wine. As long as it’s cold and bubbly, I’m happy."

Coors Light

Nicole Indovino is the founder of indoVINO wines, a winemaking project located in Sierra de Gredos in central Spain, as well as Colorado’s Western Slope. Indovino makes three wines, two produced from grapes harvested in Spain, and one from Colorado-grown grapes. 

When in Colorado during harvest, Indovino sips on an American classic: Coors Light. “When I was working in the U.S., my favorite harvest beer was Coors Light because it’s so refreshing and feels hydrating, even though I know it’s not,” she says. The light, American-style lager is crisp and refreshing, with a gentle malty flavor. 

“Now that I make wine in Spain, my top choice there is Estrella Galicia,” says Indovino. “It's an excellent beer, and you can buy them in cute little mini-bottles so you don't have to commit to a full one.”

Rainier

You’ll find lots of Rainier lager in Oregon’s Willamette Valley AVA, thanks to Dave Cho and his vineyard and winemaking teams. “We drink Rainier during harvest,” says Cho, “or, as we call it, ‘Vitamin R.’” 

Given their mission to tell a story of place through their Oregon wines, it’s no surprise that the team at CHO Vineyards sips beer so closely aligned with the Pacific Northwest (Rainier was founded in Seattle in 1878).

Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn

“Especially during harvest, I like to wake up like a crispy, green iceberg lettuce,” says Pavle Milic, founder and winemaker at Los Milics winery in Elgin, Arizona. Athletic Brewing is one of the best nonalcoholic beer brewers in the country. Its golden-style beer, Upside Dawn, has balanced notes of spice, citrus, and an earthy undertone.

Bespoke beers

Irwin Brewing Co. Hazy IPA

Gary Robinson of Left Bend Winery in Santa Cruz, California, makes a fascinating wine named Mashup. Made from fruit grown and crushed in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the must is transported to Crested Butte, Colorado, where Robinson ages the wine in a solera system, a continuous barrel system used primarily in the production of sherry. The goal is to yield a well-aged wine with depth. 

During harvest and when he’s in Crested Butte working on Mashup, Robinson indulges in a hop-driven, hazy IPA from Irwin Brewing Co., a brewery local to his project. “Any Mexican lager will do, too,” he says.

Firestone Walker Pivo Pils

Hilary Cocalis, founder and winemaker of Sipwell Wine Co., is very familiar with cans. Sipwell produces thoughtfully crafted still and sparkling wines made from organic grapes packaged into single-serve cans.  

“It's become an unofficial tradition of ours that Pivo has become our go-to celebration beer,” says Cocalis. She and her team enjoyed Firestone Walker’s hop-forward Pavo Pils after their first vintage, on their first canning day, and throughout harvest and production. “We make wine in Paso Robles, so sometimes our team even goes straight to the Firestone tasting room to get it.”

Hanabi Lager

Based in Napa Valley, California, Marc Gagnon is the director of winemaking for the portfolio of brands under the Fraîche Wine group. After long days in the vineyard, Gagnon reaches for a beer made with the same kind of intentionality and precision as the wine he crafts.

“My favorite beer to drink during harvest is Hanabi Lager because it is fresh, yet potent in its respect to grain,” he says. “A true beer for liquid lovers.” Hanabi Lager Co. uses traditional lager brewing methods to make beer where grain, malt, and hops are the star.

Bell Springs Pilsner

Bell Springs Winery in the Texas Hill Country is, very conveniently, partnered with Bell Springs Brewing Co. located adjacent to the winery. Winemaker Nic Compton doesn’t need to venture far to grab a pilsner after long days of harvesting and transporting grapes into the winery.