The 2015 grape harvest is officially underway for some of the wine regions in the Northern Hemisphere. There has been a great deal of talk about the timing of this years harvest, specifically in Napa, which began on July 22nd when the sparkling wine producer Mumm brought in 12 tons of Pinot Noir. This stands as one of the earliest days on record for the beginning of harvest in Napa. Why is this years harvest so early compared to other years? There are multiple factors that go into the timing of when to harvest, and there are different microclimates all over the valley that affect the ripening process differently from vineyard to vineyard, vine to vine, and cluster to cluster (even on the same vine). With so many moving parts, how do you know when the time is right to harvest your grapes?
During the process of making wine, there may be no other decision as important as when to harvest that seasons grapes. Harvest is the culmination of a years effort in the vineyard. The decision on when to pick brings finality to the ripening process, and will resonate in the wine that is produced. The belief that an ideal balance between natural acid, tannin, and sugar levels in the grapes has been achieved, and that if the bunches are left to hang on the vine for one more day it would result in unbalanced wine, is what drives that final decision. Rain, heat, frost, hail, insects, birds, disease, and any other acts of Mother Nature are all major concerns for grape growers and winemakers alike, and harvest changes the playing field from the vineyard to the winery.
This decision on when to harvest is sometimes also dependent on weather conditions. If an impending storm is due on the exact day that harvest is set to begin, the winemaker may have to sacrifice acid and sugar levels with the opportunity to pick when hail or rain wouldn’t be a concern. Hail can blow through and decimate a crop, eliminating whole vineyard parcels and reducing your yield dramatically. Not an ideal situation for farmers who are paid by the amount of grapes they produce. Rain can cause the grapes to take on more water, creating diluted and flabby wines that lack any real depth of flavor. A choice would then have to be made; should I pick before the storm and sacrifice ripeness, or after the storm and deal with the consequences. Many a vintage has been made or broken by an untimely storm, and 2 wines from the same region can be very different depending on which side of the storm front they chose to harvest on. Another important factor is the time of day you decide to begin the process. In a moderately warm to hot climate, grapes are usually picked at night, or early in the morning to ensure the grapes are kept cool, which preserves acidity, and allows the winemaker total control over the fermentation process. The daytime temperatures in some wine regions can be in upwards of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, this can alter the sugar levels in grapes if picked during the day. Not to mention other factors (Rattlesnakes, Bees, etc.) that could make a daytime harvest quite unpleasant.
The first grapes (to the winery) are always the ones meant for sparkling wine production. Sparkling wine grapes demand higher acidity levels and lower sugars, which keeps the final alcohol by volume in check. The worlds best sparkling wines always have mouth watering acidity, and moderate (but never high) alcohol. The next round of grapes into the winery are the aromatic whites. Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, and the like would lose the delicate balance between aromatics and structure if left on the vine for too long. This would then be followed by delicate reds (like Pinot Noir not meant for sparkling) and then a gradual flow of bigger, richer red varietals (like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Verdot). Last to the winery would be the grapes meant for dessert wine, or sweet wine production. Sometimes these grapes are left in the vineyard well into a winter snowstorm, in the hopes that they will freeze and be used to create a delicacy known as Icewine (a rich dessert wine made from bunches of frozen grapes). Sugar levels in these late harvest wines can be through the roof, and the wine they produce is rich, sweet and (extremely) expensive due to the limited production.
When you look at a bottle of wine and see the vintage on the label, it may not seem very significant at first glance. The year generally isn’t printed very large, it’s almost always dwarfed by the name of the producer, and it doesn’t immediately convey to the consumer the stress and difficulties that the winemakers and vineyard managers faced during that years harvest. However, in reality there may be no other more relevant piece of information on the label. A “good vintage” wine has the ability to age longer than most, and only gets better as it evolves in your cellar. For Napa in 2015, there is no indication that an early harvest will negatively effect the wine produced. In fact, it appears as if the drought conditions that caused vine stress managed to produce more concentrated fruit, while limiting the amount of grapes overall. In 20 years, will you be able to look at a bottle of 2015 Napa Cabernet and remember: drought vintage – limited yields, concentrated fruit and structure, with a potential for a long lifespan? For the winemakers who dedicated this year of their life to producing something memorable, 2015 will stand out as a year that exemplifies what a “good vintage” means. Making the best of the hand that was dealt, and simply producing the best wine you can.