The past few harvests yielded quality wine, but the tumultuous weather conditions hampered fruit quantity and dampened celebrations. This year, Mother Nature dealt Wine Country a fantastic hand, so there is plenty to celebrate. Here are our favorites parties this season:

NAPA VALLEY

Modus Operandi Cellars' harvest party is aptly titled “Red Wine and Carnage,” as they are roasting a full 65-pound pig and all kinds of other tasty BBQ. Wine will be accompanied by chill music from a DJ, and there will bocce ball to top it off.
Saturday, September 29 | 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. | $50

Join the Peju family for their annual Harvest Tasting & Vineyard Dinner. Begin with mingling and wine drinking, and then enjoy a family-style meal in the vineyards and dancing in the gardens until late.
Saturday, September 29 | 5:30-10:30 p.m. | $195

Romantic and historic Ehlers Estateis preparing a local Harvest feast with music from The Brian Cline Band, barrel tastings, and tons of tasty wines. 
Saturday, October 6 | 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. | $30

Join the The McCrea family at Stony Hill Vineyard to celebrate their 60th harvest. The winery, which is rarely open to the public, will be filled with music, BBQ, and lineup of wines from the past six decades.
Saturday, September 29 | 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. | $40

Click here for more Napa Valley Harvest Events.

Image courtesy of Heart of Sonoma Valley Wine Growers

SONOMA COUNTY

Join 20 wineries for Sonoma Valley CRUSH, where you can get directly involved in harvest with all kinds of hand-on harvest experiences.
September 29-30 | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. | $35

Landmark Vineyards harvest party features wine, gourmet rotisserie meats, and seasonal organic produce from Roli Roti, bocce ball, live music by Adam Traum's Trio, and a Horse-drawn wagon tour of the vineyard.
Saturday, October 6 | 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | $25 per person 

Inman Family Vineyards just completed their 10th harvest, and founder Kathleen Inman is hosting an exclusive dinner and tasting featuring a complete vertical of her estate Pinot Noir.
Saturday, October 13th | 4:00 p.m. | $125

The newly remolded Buena Vista Winery (one of the oldest in the region) is hosting their Harvest party, Halloween-style. Get your groove on in the courtyard, take tours of the haunted Champagne cellars and enjoy appetizers, cupcakes, candy, music, wine, and spooky surprises. Costumes encouraged.
Saturday, October 20 | 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. | $45

The Robledo Family is hosting their renowned annual fiesta, which begins with a blessing of the family's grapes and olives, followed by Aztec dance performances, live Mariachis and the official release of the winery's 2010 reserve cabernet sauvignon, as well as a Grape Stomp Competition.
Saturday, October 20 | noon – 4 pm | $65

The Bounty of Harvest 2012 allows you tospend the day visiting 9 Russian River Valley family wineries (Acorn, Deus Amis, Limerick Lane, Merriam, Mietz, Mutt Lynch, Rodney Strong, and Viszlay), where you’ll get to meet the owners and winemakers, sample fermenting juice, and tasty local foods. You may even get to help punch down fermenting wines.
Saturday October 27 | 11 – 4 pm | $35 (percentage goes to fight HIV/AIDS)

Click herefor more Sonoma Country Harvest Events.