🌿 Grape harvest

The grape harvest is the autumn job of picking ripe bunches for wine. In the Northern Hemisphere it usually runs from late summer to October, in the Southern Hemisphere from February to April. The winemaker chooses the date: they taste the berries, measure sugar and acidity and take the weather into account.

Grapes are picked by hand or by machine. Hand harvesting is gentle: the bunch is cut with secateurs and placed in small crates. It is chosen for fine wines, steep slopes and sparkling wines. Machine harvesting is faster and cheaper and suits flat sites and large areas. White varieties are often picked early in the morning while it is cool, so the berries do not warm up.

Harvest completes the vine's yearly cycle, and ripeness decides the date. After picking, winemaking begins: the berries are sorted, crushed and fermented. For many regions the harvest is a real festival, with fairs, songs and a shared table. It is hard work, and its result depends on each year's weather.