It's Grape Harvest Time!

It is a long voyage from grape to glass. The grape harvest is the first step in this complex journey of making an enjoyable wine and the last step in a year's worth of hard graft and soulful management of each precious vine. For any winery, it is the busiest time of year, as well as the most celebrated season. In Europe and the Northern Hemisphere, harvest peaks in the months of September and October, and depending on region, may begin as early as August or continue into mid-November. For the winemaker, choosing the harvest date requires skill, intuition, and a tricky combination of chemistry and Mother Nature. In the days leading to harvest, the winemaker faithfully monitors the vines to determine the exact time the grapes reach maturation and then -- the alarm is sound. The vineyard is ready for harvest and those grapes do not pick themselves! It is a monumental team effort of workers and volunteers, all coming together to gather the grapes at their prime. Festivals and events celebrate the anticipation of the outcome surrounding the ripeness of this little, round, botanical wonder. Harvest is a captivating combination of excitement and exhaustion, and always ends in revelry.

What’s different about the harvest on a Wines Direct Vineyard?

Today, many vineyards automate their harvest to take place at a time dictated by global markets, shipping calendars and profit margins. However, the vineyards we work with are ruled by one thing, and one thing only: ripeness. Whether they harvest by machine or by hand, our winemakers wait until their grapes reach peak maturity before they begin the vendage. It’s just another little thing that makes a big difference to the wine in the bottle. Every season, it is heartening to see the commitment of our winemakers to their wine.

Behind the Scenes with our Winemakers

Every harvest, Wines Direct pays a visit to some of our vineyards to check in with the winemakers and take part in the experience first-hand. This year, the Wines Direct team visited the South of France. It was an intense trip over 4 days across the Languedoc and Limoux. Enjoy some of the collected images from the trip and those sent in to us by our winemakers. Harvest was a beautiful sight this year. And soon, to be experienced in a glass near you!