Inside the Grape Harvest: It's Time to Make Wine!
By harvest, we of course mean the moment in which grapes grown in a vineyard are harvested and transported to the cellar and from here, through the winemaking process, are transformed firstly into must and finally into wine. The harvesting period, however, can depend on several factors: climate conditions, production area, soil composition, type of grape or type of wine.
The correct moment to harvest involves an accurate knowledge of the grapes to be harvested and a careful analysis of other important optimal conditions that will determine the subsequent phases of transformation into wine.
The harvesting season essentially takes place over a period of two months ranging from the end of August to the beginning of November, depending on the degree of ripeness of the different types of grapes, i.e. when the ratio between the percentage of sugars and acids has reached the optimal value for the type of wine to be produced.
In general, wine grapes are much sweeter than table grapes and it is important to remember this important distinction since the level of sweetness determines the final alcohol level. The sweetness comes from the sucrose present in the grapes and is measured in Brix (Bx).
The degree of ripeness of bunches remains the main evaluation parameter for identifying the exact harvest period, it is also important to consider the right balance of phenolic ripeness (presence of anthocyanins in the grape skins) expressed by the grapes. This is measured when the three parts that make up the grape, the skin, the pulp and the grape seed, have reached complete maturity in terms of sensory expression.
There are two methods of harvesting grape
Manual: Manual harvesting is carried out directly by the operators with the help of trolleys or containers.
This type of harvesting is mainly carried out for the production of selected wines and for traditional method sparkling wines. This particular harvesting method affects the final cost of the wine produced but will ensure a high selection of bunches at the origin stage.
Mechanical: Mechanical harvesting, on the other hand, is performed by means of grape harvesting machines that harvest the grapes with vertical or horizontal shaking, ensuring a faster and cheaper process and with a quality level comparable to that achieved with manual harvesting.
However, despite technological progress, many machines still have difficulty distinguishing between healthy and ripe grapes, unripe or rotten bunches, with the consequence of potentially lengthening the preparation time for the winemaking process.
For a correct harvest phase, it is important to respect some basic rules:
- Avoid picking wet grapes as the water could affect the quality of the must;
- Do not harvest during the hottest hours of the day in order to prevent unwanted fermentations;
- Do not store the grapes in large containers in order to avoid crushing;
- Quickly transport the grapes to the rooms where the vinification will be carried out, in order to avoid unwanted maceration or fermentation.
