After escaping the hailstorm in spring and the drought in summer, the major vineyards in the northern hemisphere finally ushered in the harvest season.

However, harvesting does not mean that they can breathe a sigh of relief. They must use the spirit of 120,000 points to judge the best time to harvest

Many people may think that the grape harvest time should be very long and random. Like picking fruits at a farmhouse, those fruits will hang on the tree for a long time and be picked slowly by others. But grape picking is not the case at all. The picker needs to have a good grasp of the ripening state of the grapes in order to better control the quality and appearance of the grapes.

This is not only related to the different ripening times of grapes and the annual weather conditions, but also to the content of acidity, sugar, and phenolic substances in the fruit. Because the content of various substances in the fruit changes rapidly after ripening, in the same plot, the grapes harvested on Monday, Wednesday and Friday are likely to be completely different. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately judge the ripeness of grapes.

Grape harvesting is one of the most important procedures for grape growers. In many countries, the day of the harvest is so grand that producers organize festivals to celebrate this great event.

The grape harvest period generally begins 30-70 days after the fruit is present when the color of the berries changes from green to yellow (for white varieties) or red-purple (for red varieties).

At this stage, you usually see an increase in sugar and a decrease in acid inside the fruit. Generally speaking, in the Northern Hemisphere, most varieties ripen from August to November, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is from March to August.

However, it is not easy to determine the correct harvest time for grapes. Environmental conditions, soil type, cultivar location, and growing technique play a crucial role in the quality of the final product. Producers harvest different types or varieties at different stages of maturity to achieve desired quality characteristics.

Producers need to identify specific characteristics such as:

For red wine grapes: sugar to acid ratio, phenolic content, tannins, aromas.

For white wine grapes: sugar-acid ratio, seasoning.

For table grapes: sugar-acid ratio, size.

Therefore, during the final ripening stage, from ripening to discoloration, producers conduct daily weather monitoring, along with grape inspections, to prevent potential contamination or damage.

Once the harvest time has been determined, the grapes must be harvested as quickly as possible. Workers must harvest bunches of ripe grapes, and the process must be fast, accurate, and stable, not only to ensure the efficiency of picking but also to ensure the quality of the grapes picked.

This is a labor-intensive job that requires long hours of labor and is quite hard, so pickers need to ensure adequate sleep in advance. With sun protection, the right scissors and knives, and a basket of grapes on your back or with you, people begin their day's harvesting.

Of course, in addition to manual harvesting, machine harvesting is also a major mainstream. This method uses a machine to shake the main trunk of the vine, and then collect the shaken grapes. Compared with manual harvesting, machine harvesting is less labor-intensive, but it loses the selectivity of grapes.

Although harvesting is tiring, it attracts people from all walks of life every year, including students, workers, and urban white-collar workers. If you also want to feel the joy of the grape harvest, you can arrange a grape harvest trip for the next year.