The winemaking decision of the harvest date includes, on the one hand, technical information (where we can accumulate more than 10 different analytics of the same plot and sample), and a sensory tasting in the field in which parameters that cannot be measured analytically in a field are evaluated. laboratory, such as flavor, aromatic intensity, etc. In a global way, the sensations obtained will tell us that the fruit is ready.
Crucial and vital moment
The harvest is a crucial moment and of vital importance. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the specific day on which the grape expresses its full potential. Throughout the year the technical department controls the evolution of the vineyard in many aspects such as the phenological state (evolution of the physiological cycle), health, accumulated rainfall, …
Approximately during the second half of the month of August begins the envero, at which time the grape changes from green to purple, beginning the synthesis of polyphenols (tannins and anthocyanins); At this time the work of monitoring and control of the vineyard is intensified.
The envero is a point of high technical importance as it indicates the beginning of maturity and the beginning of the countdown to the harvest. It is time to eliminate excess production from the youngest vineyards so that the plant can optimally ripen its harvest.
And also to control the evolution in the older vineyards, which naturally self-regulate producing the right amount of grapes that will be able to ripen on their own, hence the importance of working with vineyards of a certain age.
The meteorological information is of great value since both rains and temperatures will serve to interpret the evolution of the vineyards.
Throughout the month of September the ripening of the grapes is progressing, the grape samples of each plot are multiplied, and with it the analytical.
As the days progress, the whole effort is focused on determining the harvest date, at which time the grape expresses its full potential as a fruit (flavor, aromas, acidity, …) and then we will take the wine. Between the end of September and the beginning of October the final phase of maturity begins: they are approximately 15 critical days in which the weather is decisive.