Finally the "key" moment has arrived that all of us, winemakers, oenologists and wine producers have been waiting for for a long and very particular year: the harvest.
The harvest is the final act of a series of activities that accompany the vine throughout its phenological and physiological phases. It starts with working and fertilizing the soil during autumn and with winter pruning of the vines. Subsequently, during flowering and budding, we continue with green pruning and trimming and then finally arrive after veraison (we talked about it in the previous article), to the long-awaited harvest of the fruits.
Ma è fondamentale decidere esattamente quando vendemmiare, affinché si possano raggiungere gli obiettivi che ciascuno di noi ha stabilito ad inizio anno; infatti la data di vendemmia cambia a seconda che l’uva venga utilizzata per fare vini di qualità in bottiglia, sfusi o per essere ceduta tal quale alle cantine cooperative o sociali.
La scelta della data di vendemmia è un momento cruciale e che deve essere decisa con attenzione attraverso l’utilizzo di dati scientifici, statistici ed oggettivi che sono raccolti soprattutto durante il campionamento periodico delle uve, che viene fatto nelle settimane precedenti alla vendemmia.
How are grapes sampled and what information will we get?
Grape sampling serves to obtain information about the concentration of sugars in the must (and therefore the potential alcohol that will develop in the wine during alcoholic fermentation), the quantity of acids present but also the state of ripeness of the berry. To obtain the most realistic and homogeneous data possible, sampling should be done by collecting the grapes from as large an area of the vineyard as possible, so that the sample is representative of the entire vineyard. Once the grapes have been harvested, the sample will be sent to the laboratory, where first the grapes will be crushed to extract the must and then the latter will be analyzed.
Another important aspect is the sensorial analysis of the grapes which will allow us to evaluate, in addition to the technological maturation of the grapes (sugars and acids present in the must), also its phenolic maturity.
Phenolic maturity is linked to the quantity of polyphenols in the grapes and allows us to evaluate whether, in addition to the right quantity of sugars and acids, there are also the right quantities of aromas and color that we will then find in the wines.
In fact, by tasting the grapes it will be possible to understand whether the grapes are ready for harvest or not and this can be understood by evaluating the taste (sweet, herbaceous, sour, astringent) and the consistency of the grapes when crushed and the propensity to spedicellamento In fact, by tasting the grapes it will be possible to understand whether the grapes are ready for harvest or not and this can be understood by evaluating the taste (sweet, herbaceous, sour, astringent) and the consistency of the grapes when crushed and the propensity to method it is based on a scientific and objective method that allows us to understand with fairly high precision whether the grapes are ready for harvest or not.
Ultimately, the moment of harvest is established by cross-referencing data relating to maturity, the history of the harvest period but above all the current state of phenolic maturation. Once identified, it is certainly time to collect it and quickly take it to the cellar where it will be welcomed to make a delicious nectar, which will brighten your evenings, your meals and your moments of conviviality.
The harvest represents a moment of suspense but also of joy and emotion, because the moment in which the journey of what will be the wine in your glass begins. It is a journey that passes through multiple phases, transformations and technical interventions by the winemaker who will know, as always, to maximize the fruit of the harvest to offer you the essence of the territory and the local winemaking tradition in every bottle.
Prepare your glasses which will soon be filled with new wine and which will make you toast all year round!
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