Scene in S.B.: Blessing of the Grapes

At the start of every harvest since 2008, vintners Louis Lucas (second from right) and Royce Lewellen (third from left) host an annual blessing of the grapes, which this year was on August 25 and featured pinot grigio grapes from Goodchild Vineyard on Foxen Canyon Road. Father John Finley (far right), who does missionary work for the Orthodox Church, had been a member of the Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards’ wine club since 2005. “When they found out I was a priest, they said, ‘We ought to have our grapes blessed,'” recalled Finley. “They asked if I do that, and I said, ‘Yes.’ I’ve been doing it ever since.”