Behind the scenes at harvest time

There is no time quite like harvest in the wine industry. A sense of excitement and anticipation fills the air as the annual cycle of Mother Nature brings us another crop of grapes.
Bearing the imprint of the numerous variables of the growing season, this new crop of fruit will define our winemaking, as we strive to craft wines that will please our customers and friends. Harvest is also a stressful and exhausting time for the people on the front line picking the grapes, delivering them to the winery and processing the fruit in the cellar. An endless array of details needs to be orchestrated in order to get perfectly ripened grapes picked in the cool of the morning – not a day too soon, or too late – to a well-organized winery team ready to turn them into the delicious beverage we know and love.
At the center of this busy hive of activity is the winemaker, the man or woman who masterfully juggles various priorities to get the job done. The issues they must deal with are challenging and numerous: How quickly are the grapes ripening and how many tanks are available to handle the expected intake of fruit? Are there enough pickers available to harvest the fruit? Are trucks, drivers and containers ready at the vineyard to deliver the harvested grapes promptly? And, most importantly, are the grapes truly ready for harvest when everything else is finally in place?
How does a winemaker decide when the fruit is perfectly ripe? When faced with all the competing pressures, he or she is often in a lonely position in making the call as to when the fruit is at its optimum. The most basic rule to follow seems simple, but often is only learned with years of experience. The fruit must taste sweet and delicious. All wineries regularly gather samples of each lot of grapes and perform basic analysis on them – checking acid and sugar levels – which provides some basis for harvest decisions. But the truth is, great winemaking is more than painting by numbers, and there is no substitute for tasting the fruit either as a sample at the winery, or better yet, in the vineyard while walking the rows.
Grapes are complex and mysterious in nature. If the fruit is still tart, this means the acidity is too high, which will result in a wine that will not have good balance. Nor should the flavors be green or herbal. Other markers for true maturity lie in the feel and appearance of the berries. The seeds should be brown and crunchy. The pulp should easily pop out of the skin when the berry is squeezed between thumb and forefinger. The skins should yield some pigment when rubbed in the hand, and they should be free of harsh taste. In the end, it is much like picking a ripe peach or pear from your garden at home. The color of the skin and the slight softening tell you when it is ready to eat. A matter of just a few days can make the difference between disappointment and perfection!
In theory, this all seems pretty straightforward, but, of course, the real world is far messier and more complicated. In other words, Mother Nature is really calling the shots, and we use our knowledge and experience to respond to what she gives us. For example, one of the big challenges in California is balancing the development of sugar ripeness with maximum flavor. Unfortunately, these two characteristics don’t always develop simultaneously. Too much sugar ferments out to high alcohol, and can result in a wine that tastes hot. Too little flavor, and the wine will taste thin and watery. The nature of the growing season makes a phenomenal difference in how these two factors track with each other. So far, 2007 has been free of heat spikes, allowing slow, steady ripening. In contrast, early September 2004 had many days of triple digit-temperatures and low humidity, providing challenges that most wineries dealt with successfully.
And of course, though winemakers are loathe to admit it, sometimes there may be situations when fruit conditions are not entirely optimal but the grapes nonetheless need to be picked. Things like lack of water can cause leaves to turn brown and clusters to dehydrate, limiting flavor development and resulting in raisining. At the other end of the spectrum, rains during harvest can affect white grapes and thinner-skinned red varieties that are prone to bunch rot or powdery mildew. To maintain the quality of the fruit in these scenarios, it is often imperative to harvest immediately, while applying a careful culling to the affected grapes.
Ultimately, making wine is fun and intellectually challenging, but obviously not for the faint of heart. Sharing our handcrafted products with friends, family and customers is something my colleagues and I find deeply gratifying and fulfilling. But, like any enterprise worth doing, winemaking involves a lot of hard work and difficult choices. These choices shape the personality of great vintages and define the character of the wines you savor with family and friends.
Steve MacRostie served as Hacienda Winery’s first winemaker, founded MacRostie Winery and Vineyards in 1987 and makes wine from sustainably grown fruit from Wildcat Mountain Vineyard, a partnership with Nancy and Tony Lilly. MacRostie has served as president of Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance, Carneros Wine Alliance, and Carneros Quality Alliance.