It is known to all that the culture of wine has passed generations in the province of Cádiz. Practically all the inhabitants of here have had someone in our family who has worked in the fields, in a vineyard or winery and even who has ever harvested. To connect with our roots, to even spend an afternoon with the family, we have created a unique and exclusive experience: For one day, you can be a grape picker. Keep reading and we will explain how.
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What is the Harvest?
The Harvest is the gathering or harvesting of grapes, generally referring to those that will be used for the production of wine or liquor. In the case of table grapes, the term harvest is simply used. There are Egyptian inscriptions that represent the vintage and the treading in wine presses as early as the 2nd millennium BC. The Pharaohs had official cupbearers.
The harvest period varies between February and April (in the southern hemisphere), and August and October (in the northern hemisphere). This depends on the desired degree of ripening of the grape, that is, on the moment when the percentage relationship between sugars and acids in the grape grain has reached the optimum value for the type of wine to be produced. In the province of Cádiz, it is mainly concentrated in the last two weeks of August and the first two weeks of September.
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Who is the grape picker?
The grape picker is the worker who works during the harvest in the vineyards and in the wineries. In the old days (and in some cases today) they were day laborers, that is, people who worked for the salary of a day’s work (a daily wage). Normally they were people expressly hired for the harvest season, who did not work throughout the year in the winery. In this job there is no discrimination of genders or races, everyone who was willing to work and earn their wages, could do so, be they man or woman, from the area or foreigner.
What is the grape harvest?
The harvest is divided into a series of steps:
- Control of the harvest and of the grape: before the harvest, it is monitored that the grape evolves correctly, examining its state to finally be able to fix the specific record of the harvest.
- Collect the grape from the vine: for this we must travel a large part of the field in search of the best bunches and follow some instructions to collect it correctly. We must fill a whole basket, because each basket will be between eight and ten liters of must that will turn into wine after a year or more.
- Transport the basket full of grapes to the place where they will be pressed
- Control in the wineries: where the grapes are transferred, a series of processes are carried out so that everything is in perfect condition at the time the grapes are unloaded.
- Destemming: this is the name of the phase in which the grapes are separated from the bunch and leaves, thus leaving the grapes clean and ready for the last process.
- The crushing: This is the last phase of the harvest. This is the most delicate moment, since you have to gently crush the grapes to extract the must, the grape juice. Currently, it is a mechanized process in almost all wineries, but in some wineries the process of yesteryear is maintained. It consists of two or more people holding onto the shoulders and beginning to crush the grape with their feet.
In the past, this last step was practically a party: Music was played and the people who stepped on the grapes were dedicated to dancing, to make work more enjoyable and faster. In Greco-Latin times, these festivals around the tread of the grape were dedicated to the god Bacchus or Dionysus, to honor him and thank him for the good harvest.
Thanks to the activity that we are organizing from Alsherry Experiences, you will also be able to carry out the entire process and be a grape picker as the ancestors of this precious land did. The classic tastings and tastings are great to get to know and appreciate the different wines of the Sherry wine region, but by becoming a grape picker you can come into direct contact with the process that takes place every year, for many thousands of years. It is a job that connects you with the land and nature and can be perfect for transmitting the wine culture to the little ones, teaching them the importance of traditions.
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In conclusion
Now that you know a little bit more about the Grape Harvest , if you are keen for more information, the Sherry Wine production, experiences , or tailor made trips that will make you fall in love with Andalucía even more.
For more info and insights, get in touch with us here or write us at info@alsherry.com and we’d be delighted to make plans for you!