The 2019 harvest is in the vats! On Friday, September 20, 25 people worked actively in the vineyards. On the agenda: cutting bunches, pruner by hand, loading into crates and sorting grapes, from sunrise until nightfall! Small aromatic berries, rich in sugars and color, are the characteristics of this vintage. Vines were about to suffer from the lack of water since the beginning of summer, especially the week before the harvest. In practical terms, leaves were beginning to turn yellow, some berries to wither. In the end, on the quality side, the 2019 vintage should be close to 2018 🙂 . But the path from grapes to bottles is still long…
A few words about hand-picking vs machine. In my humble opinion, respecting the vines is the key: the harvesting machines are heavy and pack down the soil, they make vines more fragile as they shake them strongly to bring down the grapes … and sometimes the most fragile vines too. I think hand-picking is more consistent to our organic approach. However, I do not cast anathema on the harvesting machines, which also have their advantages, and those who use them. Pros and cons, simply explained here