Hye, TX — Harvest season is underway in the Texas Hill Country, and dozens of volunteers recently got an early-morning look at what it takes to get grapes from the vineyard to the winery.33 volunteers gathered before sunrise on August 16th at Coordinates Vineyards in Hye, about an hour west of Austin, to hand-harvest the vineyard's estate Tannat grapes.Picking began at 7:15 a.m. By 8:19 a.m., the entire block had been harvested.In just over an hour, volunteers collected 1,564 pounds of fruit using hand shears and b...
Hye, TX — Harvest season is underway in the Texas Hill Country, and dozens of volunteers recently got an early-morning look at what it takes to get grapes from the vineyard to the winery.
33 volunteers gathered before sunrise on August 16th at Coordinates Vineyards in Hye, about an hour west of Austin, to hand-harvest the vineyard's estate Tannat grapes.
Picking began at 7:15 a.m. By 8:19 a.m., the entire block had been harvested.
In just over an hour, volunteers collected 1,564 pounds of fruit using hand shears and buckets.
Deciding when to harvest
Vineyard operators say deciding when to pick grapes involves much more than simply measuring their sugar content.
Coordinates Vineyards said several factors pushed the team to harvest its Tannat, including rising pH levels, birds discovering the fruit, some clusters beginning to raisin and, at one point, the possibility of a storm moving into the area.
The harvest comes during a challenging year for some Texas Hill Country grape growers.
Late spring freezes damaged some crops, while intense summer heat and July flooding created additional challenges. Some wineries reported losing portions of their crops, particularly white wine grapes. Still, winemakers say surviving fruit is showing promising quality and could result in standout wines from the 2026 vintage.
July flooding also directly affected parts of the Hill Country wine corridor along the Pedernales River. The river rose more than 22 feet in just three hours during one flooding event, temporarily closing several wineries and damaging property.
Harvest season in the Hill Country
August is prime harvest time across much of Texas wine country, and the season has also become an attraction for visitors.
Several wineries are hosting grape stomps and harvest experiences during the 2026 season, including events in Hye, Fredericksburg and Johnson City. Some continue into September.
The celebrations come as the Hill Country wine industry continues to grow despite increasingly unpredictable weather. Texas wine contributes more than $20 billion to the state's economy, while more than a million visitors head to Hill Country tasting rooms each year.