To harvest or not to harvest...

Generally not an easy decision! Many different aspects have to be taken into consideration. To name a few, we have to think about ripeness of the grapes, weather forecast, style of wine we want to produce of course, botrytis pressure, resources (both human and machine), fermentation and storage capacity in the cellar etc.

Finding the perfect timing for harvesting a particular vineyard sometimes feels almost overwhelming.

There should be an algorithm that helps decide the perfect harvest time. I was seriously thinking about consulting AI for the perfect harvest time of our Muskateller grapes this week. But then the harvesting machine broke and I realised that planning ahead is just completely overrated…

So besides the usual problems that occur during each harvest, things are looking REALLY good out there. It’s going to be a tasty vintage, musts are extremely aromatic, acidity is crisp and grapes are happy and healthy on the vines. My gut feeling tells me there is no rush to get the grapes in so let’s not panic about a few delays. It’ll all be good!