Wine Harvesting

Wine Harvesting
Retailers have the holiday season.  Politicians have election season.  Sports teams have the playoffs.  Designers have Fashion Week.  And winegrowers have the harvest.  This is crunch… or shall we say, crush time in the world of wine.

The annual grape harvest for wineries in the northern hemisphere generally takes place in August, September and October.  Southern hemisphere wineries typically harvest in February, March and April, while late harvest ice wines, which are left on the vine to increase sugar content, can be harvested up to a few months after the prime harvest periods.

It’s All About Timing
Before the onset of the harvest, winegrowers closely monitor the development of the grapes to determine ripeness.  As they ripen, they become sweeter.  Acidity levels decrease, sugars increase and flavor compounds develop.  They also check the quality of the tannins, which are a family of natural organic compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems.  Ultimately, the winegrower is looking for the perfect balance between acidity, sugar, tannins and flavor compounds.

Modern technology offers scientific ways to test various levels in the grape, but at the end of the day, most winegrowers agree that the most effective way to gauge ripeness is the same method that has been used for thousands of years – an old-fashioned taste test with an educated, refined palate.

The date of harvest is rarely the same from year to year, so winegrowers rely on their own taste and instinct.  Grapes may be bitter or underdeveloped if picked too early.  If picked too late, the sugar levels may get too high.  Weather reports are also critical as excessive heat or rain can ruin a crop.  During the harvest, wineries hope for dry weather to bring the grapes home.  Sparkling wines like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are harvested first, followed by white wine grapes and finally, red wine grapes, which take a little longer to fully mature.

Mechanical Harvesting vs. Handpicking
Wine traditionalists and purists prefer handpicking, which allows knowledgeable workers to choose only healthy bunches and handle the grapes more gently.  They can also remove dirt, leaves, bugs or anything else you wouldn’t want to drink.  In vineyards with rough or steep terrain, it’s virtually impossible use a mechanical harvester anyway.
Proponents of mechanical harvesting point to the obvious cost savings, speed and efficiency of the machines.  Also, machine harvesting is usually done at night, so the grapes arrive at the winery much cooler than grapes handpicked during the day.  This keeps the grape’s astringency to a minimum.

After sorting and stem removal, either by humans or machines, wineries want to get the grapes to crush, where grapes aren’t smashed but rather gently split so the juice starts to flow as quickly as possible.  Then, the actual winemaking really begins.