Progressive harvest. How to give value to the grapes

Progressive harvest, a way to give value to the grapes

Grape harvest. The different types of harvesting

Grape harvest is the way of collecting grapes that will be addressed to the production of wine, whereas the word picking can be used for table grapes. Generally the grape harvest start in July and finish in October, in our hemisphere (just in few cases the grape harvest take place in November or December. It is important to choose the right moment to harvest, because just few days in advance or delayed can affect the quality of the wine.

Before defining the days to harvest, it is important to consider a series of elements: the type of grapes, the area of production, the wine that you want to produce and the climatic conditions. Besides the traditional one, there are other types of grape harvest: the progressive grape harvest and the late harvest. Both the traditional and the special grape harvest, the way of harvesting can be made by hand or mechanical, made with the help of harvesting machines).

It is evident that picking the grapes by hand, they will maintain all their wholeness. Moreover, to preserve all its characteristics it is important to respect some rules suitable both for the traditional grape harvest and the other ones. To avoid that the fermentation take place in advance, do not harvest the grapes in the hottest hours of the day and it has to be transferred quickly in the places where the vinification will take place. Do not harvest if the grape is wet and the containers don’t have to be too big, to not squeeze the grapes.

What is progressive harvest?

This particular way of harvesting consists in harvesting only when the harvest reaches the right degree of ripening. Every single bunch has different timing and it is important to wait for the right moment to harvest them. One of the vine variety that can be harvested with the progressive harvest is Sangiovese that wine makers in Emilia Romagna harvest in different period of the year.
It is important to select the right staff to work with: they have to love this work and that know very well the work to choose carefully that grapes to leave on the plant and the one to harvest. Their professionalism and passion for the vines and grapes are fundamental for the final quality of the wine.

Tradition and innovation. Together to produce unique and quality wines

The tradition do not exclude the innovation. The secrets of vinification pass down from father to son without stop using the most innovative methods that are able to improve the quality and the quantity of wine. The common features of all the wine makers, is anyway their passion in cultivating the vines and how they follow the vinification process. It is not easy but it can give great satisfaction.