How Rodney Strong Vineyards Managed California’s Early Harvest

The Healdsburg winery was founded by Rodney Strong, a former Navy serviceman who later danced on Broadway. Winemaker Rick Sayre joined in 1979, and the Klein family bought the business in 1989. During the final days of the 2026 harvest, Entrepreneur spoke with chief winemaking and operations officer Justin Seidenfeld and head of winegrowing Allison Derrico about lessons that apply beyond wine.

Protecting quality from vineyard to winery

Heat can damage grapes between picking and processing. For the winery’s rosé, crews harvest at dawn and move the fruit quickly to an air-conditioned space for sorting and fermentation. “As the fruit sits in the sun, it will begin to dessicate,” Seidenfeld said. “That will change the balance of the fruit.” The preferred light pink color of the rosé also means picking those grapes at night, before heat can degrade them.

The winery adjusts its handling to the scale and destination of each lot. Premium, small-lot Rockaway grapes receive a different crush and fermentation from larger lots intended for Sonoma County or Estate wines. Those broader-tier grapes need less precise “sweet spotting,” Seidenfeld said, but the team still manages them closely through site development and deficit irrigation to promote uniformity and balance.

Harvest timing combines measurements with judgment. Samples guide the decision, but Seidenfeld said the final call—whether to leave grapes on the vine or pick them—depends on the team’s eyes, ears and taste, not just laboratory results. He called that choice the winery’s most important decision each year.

Derrico said sustainability also supports fruit quality and long-term business resilience. Rodney Strong became Sonoma County’s first carbon neutral winery in 2009. Its vineyard practices include water conservation, soil management and encouraging biodiversity. Soil-moisture monitoring, weather stations and plant-based measurements help guide irrigation. Derrico said these everyday practices affect vine health, fruit development and, ultimately, wine quality.