This year's harvest started much earlier in some places due to the fact that the year was very hot and dry, it almost started with a drought. So it's no wonder that many people picked the grapes before they were fully ripe, as well as those for the base sparkling wine. But what happens before the harvest, in the grapes, and what happens during the harvest?
The ripening of the grapes, and harvest
The result of the annual work carried out in the vineyards is a good harvest. However, winemaking begins in the vineyard and the ideal time must be chosen accordingly. A lot depends on when we start the harvest, as it greatly influences the character and quality of the wine.
The timing of the harvest must therefore always be adjusted to the wine to be made. There are several stages of grape ripening, 3 of which are distinguished.
Technological maturity: the state when the grapes are in the best condition for making camel wine.
Full ripeness: the material flow between the cluster and the plant ceases, and the cluster stalk turns brown and woody, so the berry is no longer enriched.
Overripe: the berries do not receive liquid supply and the berry loses water due to evaporation, so it becomes a shriveled grape.
Once the harvest date has been determined, the harvest itself can begin. In general, dry wine is always harvested first. The harvest here in the wine region is done by hand, we do not use mechanical harvesting, as in other wine regions, since the harvest very often takes place in several steps.
We put a lot of emphasis on furmint, as we find most of this variety in the wine region, and our high-quality dry base wines are made from it - which of course we will also use in the production of Aszúbor.
Grape harvesting, in contrast to artistic traditions and folk songs, is a very difficult and stressful job, since the entire crop must be harvested, delivered, and processed at the same time in the best quality, and this usually involves complicated work organization and tasks to be performed with many people.
From the grapes to a glass of wine...
After the grapes are delivered, the grapes must be processed as soon as possible - first they are crushed and destimmend, then the pressing process follows. After pressing, the journey of the must continues in a stainless steel tank or possibly fermentation takes place in a wooden barrel.
Alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced during fermentation, so fermentation must continue in a well-ventilated area.
Fermentation is greatly influenced by the condition of the yeasts and the temperature, but in general it can be said that the fermentation takes place within a few weeks, after which the new wine is treated and after a certain time, if the winemaker sees fit, it can be bottled.
More winemaking technologies will be discussed in another article. In the meantime, tell me if you have ever participated in a harvest and if so, what were your experiences?
