Harvest Season in Paso Robles: Growth, Hard Work & the Risks Behind the Wine
By Dayleen Aldridge | Risk Advisor, Ted Hamm Insurance
September in Paso Robles has a rhythm all its own.
Drive through wine country early enough and you can see it happening—crews in the vineyards, trucks moving down country roads, bins filling with grapes, equipment running, and cellar teams preparing for another busy day.
It’s harvest.
For those of us who live here, it’s easy to admire the finished product: beautiful vineyards, busy tasting rooms and the incredible wines our region is known for.
But behind every bottle is a business—and behind that business are people, equipment, vehicles, property and countless moving pieces that all carry risk.
Harvest Changes the Risk
A winery or vineyard doesn’t operate exactly the same way during harvest as it does during the rest of the year.
Operations can become busier almost overnight. There may be seasonal employees, longer hours, additional drivers, temporary equipment, increased production and more people moving through the property.
That makes harvest a great time for business owners to ask a few simple questions:
Have our operations changed since our insurance program was last reviewed?
Are all employees and their actual job duties accounted for correctly?
Are employees driving their own vehicles for company business?
Have we purchased, leased or borrowed equipment or vehicles?
Are seasonal or temporary workers properly addressed?
Have production, payroll, sales or property values changed significantly?
Are certificates of insurance and contracts current for the vendors and contractors working with us?
These aren’t questions designed to create more paperwork. They’re designed to uncover changes before a claim does it for you.
Workers’ Compensation Deserves Special Attention
Harvest is physical work.
Lifting, repetitive movement, machinery, uneven terrain, vehicles, long days and increased activity can all contribute to workplace injuries.
Workers’ compensation shouldn’t simply be viewed as another annual insurance premium. A well-managed program includes understanding employee classifications, reviewing claims trends, maintaining safety practices and making sure the insurance reflects what employees are actually doing.
And when operations change, your risk management strategy may need to change with them.
Don’t Forget the Road
Harvest doesn’t stay inside the vineyard.
Businesses may have employees traveling between vineyards, production facilities, tasting rooms, warehouses and vendors. Some may occasionally use personal vehicles while conducting company business.
That creates an important conversation around Business Auto and Hired & Non-Owned Auto exposures.
One seemingly routine errand can become a much larger insurance issue when an accident occurs.
Your Insurance Should Understand Your Business
Agriculture and wine are not static industries.
Weather changes. Harvest changes. Employees change. Equipment changes. Contracts change. Production changes.
Your insurance program needs to keep up.
That’s why I believe commercial insurance should start with understanding the operation—not simply asking when the policy renews and trying to provide another quote.
I want to know:
What do you do?
How do you do it?
What has changed?
And where could something go wrong?
Then we can have a meaningful conversation about risk.
Celebrating the People Behind the 2026 Harvest
This time of year is also a reminder of what makes Paso Robles special.
Behind the vineyards and tasting rooms are growers, vineyard crews, cellar teams, winemakers, hospitality professionals, drivers, vendors and families working together through one of the busiest seasons of the year.
So while we celebrate the 2026 harvest, let’s celebrate the people behind it, too. 🍇
And if it has been a while since someone sat down with you and talked about how your business actually operates, rather than simply what your current policy says, I’d be happy to start that conversation.
Dayleen Aldridge
Risk Advisor | Ted Hamm Insurance
Commercial Insurance • Workers’ Compensation • Agriculture • Hospitality
