Grape Harvest

The heat of a long process

The grape harvest can always be seen as the toughest test for the winemaker. Indeed, after months of hard work preparing the vineyard, it is time to bring home the outcomes. The process starts with the wintry pruning, followed by the binding, the fertilization, the summer green pruning, the suckering, plant health treatments and finally, the grape harvest.

Conte Leopardi starts harvesting the white grapes found in its Podere Coppo in Sirolo, where, at the end of August, the Sauvignon has golden yellow nuances. The winemaker, by picking some grapes, checks if the sugar and acidity rates in the grapes are the best, and, if they are, then that is the right harvest time. The harvest is hand made using suitable scissors and small plastic boxes. This avoids any damages made to the grapes made when carrying them into the cellar. If the grapes get damaged, then the juice, called wurt, comes out from the grape, risking an early fermentation process or worse, the acidification of the grape.

The harvest lasts about two months. The Montepulciano grapes are the last grapes gathered. It is a very tardive vine and it needs a Mediterranean and dry climate in order to ripen properly.

Harvesting with other people is very exciting: you can feel a special ambience, a unique one.