Romancing the Grape

Article Written By: Glenn Larkin

In the Northern Hemisphere, the grape harvest is usually August through October, depending on the grape, location, weather, ripeness, etc.andnbsp;Down under, it would be between February and April.andnbsp;Keep that in mind when you see the early release of Australian whites.andnbsp;They often are a spring release here in the U.S.andnbsp;Grapes harvested in March of 2008 can be released for sale in April 2009.andnbsp;Buying an andrsquo;08 so early in andrsquo;09 can be disconcerting.

The goal is to pick the grape when it is at the peak of its physiological ripeness andmdash; when the sugar levels are high enough but still pack plenty of acidity.andnbsp;The ripeness of the grape is determined by a number of factors, sugar and acidity levels being primary concerns.andnbsp;The type of wine a winemaker is planning also plays a crucial role.andnbsp;All through the growing season, the winemaker and the grower and/or vineyard manager will have been monitoring the grapevines.

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There are several different ways to shape grapevines to influence the grape.andnbsp;The leaves can be trimmed so the grape itself gets more sun.andnbsp;They can be grown as a traditional vine andmdash; terraced, south facing, pruned, and on and on in so many ways that they cannot all be covered in this overview. With so many grape varieties grown throughout the world, both red and white, a listing here would be exhausting.

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As the grapes mature, testing for acidity and sugar levels was traditionally done with the simple tasting, relying on the experience and taste buds of the winemaker.andnbsp;Now, however, through the marvels of modern science, there are several more accurate tools that all modern winemakers can use.andnbsp;This not being a science project, we will skip over those hard-to-pronounce names.

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So, the grape is tasted in the vineyard; the winemaker likes the taste; some grapes are picked to be tested for verification.andnbsp;If all goes according to plan, then the time has come to get your hands dirty.

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Of course, getting your hands dirty means manually harvesting the grapes.andnbsp;Mechanical harvesting is becoming much more common.andnbsp;In some countries it is almost the only way grapes are harvested.andnbsp;Australia and New Zealand use mechanical harvesting even for their premium wines because of such a shortage of labor.andnbsp;In fact, most agricultural farming is harvested with machines in these countries, not just grapes.

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In the U.S., 55 percent of the grapes are mechanically harvested, according to winebusiness.com.andnbsp;As much as 35 percent of Napa and Sonoma Counties are mechanically harvested.andnbsp;While there are many drawbacks to this method, it is certainly much more cost effective.andnbsp;And the machines are constantly improved upon to avoid damaging the grape in the vineyard.

The basic principle in mechanical harvesting is to andldquo;shakeandrdquo; the grapes off the cluster and onto a conveyor belt.andnbsp;The belt then drops the grapes into a basket for transport. A much greater area can be harvested in a shorter time.andnbsp;It can also be done at night when the grape is cool, which is also beneficial.

Manual harvesting allows for the picking of only the best grapes.andnbsp;If they are not ripe, they can be left on the vine for another day.andnbsp;Damaged or spoiled grapes can be discarded, avoiding any tainting of the batch.andnbsp;This method then requires the second step of de-stemming, which also is labor intensive.

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These decisions are often based on the desired final result.andnbsp;Obviously, more effort is put into fine wines by limiting what is included in the final andlsquo;crushandrsquo;.andnbsp;While some stems in the crush may be desired, the decision is left up to the winemaker.andnbsp;Any added items from the mechanical process, which can affect the wine, must be compensated for at a later step in the winemaking process.

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Inexpensive bulk wines benefit the most from current mechanical harvesting.andnbsp;It would not surprise anyone if in the future, as new winemakers enter the field without the old world limitations, they adapt well to the machinery.andnbsp;In fact, they will demand that manufacturers continue to improve the process.

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They may have to, as farm labor is harder to come by here in the U.S.andnbsp;And becoming more expensive.andnbsp;If the Aussies can make fine wines with mechanical harvesting, anyone can.andnbsp;In fact, many of the grapes in Franceandrsquo;s Bordeaux region are harvested this way.

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But there are certain types of wine made that may always be done by hand.andnbsp;Some by choice, but others may do so according to the type of wine and/or grape.andnbsp;Wines that are made by pressing the entire bunch, stem and all, like Champagne, will need to be done by hand.andnbsp;Some grape skins are quite thin, like Sandeacute;millon and Sangiovese, and current machinery can cause them to be crushed in the process, oxidizing the juice.

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So, keep all this in mind the next time you are sitting on your patio enjoying a glass of wine.andnbsp;There is much more that goes into that bottle than you may think.andnbsp;And while it may taste glamorous, it does not always look pretty.

About the Author

Glenn Larkin is a freelance writer for La Maison Gourmet. He shares is passion for wine and food to our readers.

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