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ORAL HISTORY
Kirsty Harmon
Blenheim Vineyards
Kirsty Harmon became the winemaker at Blenheim Vineyards in 2008. She is involved in every aspect of the business. She oversees every aspect of the winery from the vineyard and winemaking to sales and the wine tasting room. When their staff returned from a work retreat in late February 2020, Harmon and her colleagues began to realize the severity of the global COVID-19 Pandemic. By mid-March 2020, they shut down the tasting room to the public and began to transition into a safer, remote pickup system.
Harmon’s daily work changed very little as a winemaker. Throughout most of the year, she works independently in the winery and set her own schedule. She implemented social distancing programs for H-2A farm workers in the vineyards and staff members who work in the tasting room. She also helped to make limited release wines that supported World Central Kitchen and Frontline Foods.
