Choosing when to pick your fruit from the vines depends on a massive number of different factors, which primarily revolve around the grape varietal being cultivated, and the type of wine the winemaker is trying to make. Most expert winemakers will rely on a combination of taste, skill, awareness, and scientific testing to define exactly when the day or even hour for harvest should take place.
With the recent resurgence of interest and enthusiasm surrounding vin naturel and organic viticulture, many winemakers are relying even more on the old methods and their intuition, demonstrating that such approaches definitely still have a place on the contemporary wine scene.
Winemakers will also regularly walk among their vines, prodding, poking, squeezing, and tasting their grapes, and interacting with them on a human level which could never be replicated by a machine. Of course, modern wineries will employ all kinds of machines and devices, which measure the pH level of the grape juice, and tell them exactly how tannic the skins and seeds are. Winemakers often talk about popping fruit into their mouths, and feeling how firm the skins of the grapes are between their teeth.
They also speak of detecting flavours which have different levels of complexity and depth for example, one red grape might taste vaguely of cherries one week, and the next will have developed more specific notes of black cherries the next , and checking for shrivelling, shrinkage, or looseness from the stalks. All of this together will paint a clear picture of when the moment for picking and crushing should take place. Winemakers looking for the right moment to harvest will be seeking out several different factors, depending on the region, the varietal, and the type of wine being made.
However, almost every winemaker will also be keeping the following in mind:. During the growing period, grapes are checked carefully throughout the days until ideal levels of acidity and sugar ripeness are reached for the desired style of wine.
The amount of natural sugar in the grape is responsible for the final alcohol level as well as how dry or sweet the wine is going to be. Grapes for sparkling wines are picked a little earlier than for still wines as they need a higher level of acidity and less sugar. How do we know when a grape has reached the perfect level of ripeness and is ready for harvest? Well, technology helps, but simply tasting the grapes from various parts of the vineyards when done by seasoned pros can tell you a lot, especially as grapes from different locations ripen at different times.
Laboratory tests are increasingly used too to test this as well as acidity and phenolics. How the grapes are physically gathered is up to each individual winery. This is one reason why fine wine can be a bit more expensive.
Just like in apples , seeds of ripe grapes turn from white to tan to brown. Birds or animals eating your grapes is also a sure sign that your grapes are ready. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to wait until the first frost to harvest your grapes. Having said that, you can still harvest grapes after some light frost. You might even find that the frost sweetens the grapes a little. It is best to pick grapes on a warm, sunny day as the grapes will have the highest sugar content and will store better if they do not have any surface moisture.
Hold a cluster of grapes in one hand and snip the whole cluster off the vine with sharp garden pruners or scissors. Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. Getty is a Professional Home Economist , speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas.
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