As the summer draws to a close, the vines offer a marvellous spectacle of mature fruits in unique hues. Strolling through the vines elicits inexplicable sensations ranging from melancholy to an absolute sense of being at one with nature. Are you dying to experience the harvest? Then join us in Piedmont to discover its secrets and peculiarities!
Piedmont - Where Wine is a Passion
The harvest in Piedmont is an interminable love story
A heritage of traditions and a passionate love for land and wine, the harvest is also a cause for celebration, a chance to offset the unavoidable fatigue of work with the joy of meeting up in enchanting places. Song and laughter are heard (and echo!) through the rows: the sweet music of the harvest!
There are various factors that determine how the harvest will be. The most important is the climate: if it has been a good year, with rather mild temperatures that were neither too high nor too low and the right amount of humidity, the harvest will be a good one. This year there is reason to be hopeful: the summer has been more temperate and not as hot as last year’s. The vineyards are flourishing and the berries are perfectly sized and coloured. The month of September is crucial: if the weather is good, with the right humidity and sufficient rainfall, the 2016 harvest will be an excellent one!
The harvest in Piedmont begins between the end of August and the first days of September. It can start even later if the grapes are not sufficiently ripened. This year, the moment has arrived: the white grapes will be harvested beginning this week. Work will progress throughout September and it will end in October with the later grapes. The harvest will end towards the end of October and the vines will be left to rest in anticipation of winter!
Harvesting Methods and Techniques
Between technology and ancient practices: Piedmont is in perpetual search of the right balance between tradition and innovation
Once upon a time, grape picking and pressing were done manually.
The grapes were removed with sharp cuts using knives and scissors. Once collected and taken to the farmyard, farmers crushed them barefooted inside a large container (a vat). Today’s technology automates many of these processes: there are machines that can pick the grapes and others that turn them into must. In Piedmont, tradition and innovation blend together perfectly: you can come across small companies that retain the methods of the past as well as modern facilities that prefer technology together with cellars that make sure of both approaches equally.
Let's celebrate the harvest! Come and visit us in the cellar!
Ph.credits: mepiemont.net | trentinowine.info | ucdavis.edu