Ch 6 - Harvesting

Question 1

When does harvesting begin?

Answer 1

When the winemaker believes the grapes have the exact qualities to create the desired style of wine. This will be the ideal balance betweensugar, acid, flavour and tannin.

Question 2

Why might harvest be brought forward?

Answer 2

If adverse weather conditions are forecast at the expected time e.g.
Hail - can destroy the grapes;
Heavy rainfall - can swell the grapes excessively and dilute the juice;
To coordinate with the winery to ensure sufficient capacity for fruit arriving.

Question 3

What are thetwo main methods of harvesting?

Answer 3

Hand;

Machine.

Question 4

What factors influence the harvesting method used?

Answer 4

How vineyard is planted;
Labour availability and cost;
Topography;
Weather conditions;
Winemaking choices.

Question 5

What are advantages of machine harvesting?

Answer 5

Speed esp. in threat of adverse weather or to gather grapes which can over-ripen easily eg Sauv Blanc;
Can work through the night and pick cool grapes - saves cost of lowering temperature pre-fermentation;
Slows oxidation

Question 6

What are drawbacks of machine harvesting?

Answer 6

Only usable on flat or gently sloping vineyards;
Not selective. Takes everything including stalks etc;
Cannot be used where whole bunches required eg noble rot

Question 7

What are advantages of hand harvesting?

Answer 7

Only option on steep slopes;
Allows grape selection in the vineyard particularly for noble rot grapes and for whole bunch fermentations;
Less damage to grapes and transported in shallow stackable trays;
Gives a pure, clean juice