Napa Vintners Harvest Wine In Cool Of Night To Protect Workers From Heat

NAPA (AP) -- Vineyards in California's wine country moved their harvest to the cool of night to protect them from the scorching heat that has swept the state.

Several fields off Highway 29 lit up with floodlights early Saturday morning.

"Our primary concern is for the health and well-being of our farmworkers," said Chris Dearden of Dearden wines. "We couldn't do it without them. It's cooler, less traffic on the roads, easier as far as being able to pick the grapes."

Harvesting at night is also better for the grapes themselves. It gets the fruit to the winery in a cooler state which can mean better acids and sugars, and less dehydration.

In:
• Napa