Autumn

Autumn is the climax of our viticultural year. The crop is ripening, and weather forecasts are observed assiduously, as untimely rain could prove disastrous. The logistics of the forthcoming campaign are planned precisely. Over five hundred kilometres of trellis containing 279,652 vines await harvesting.

Berries are regularly monitored for their sugar and acid content but, more importantly, our winemakers graze through the vineyards to assess their developing flavours and determine the optimum date of harvest.

The mechanical harvester enters the vineyard in the cool of the night, straddling the vine row so that its two banks of shaker-rods come into contact with the vines. The operator harmonises their amplitude and frequency to the resonance of the trellis, so that each berry is vibrated from its individual stalk. They are then deposited in an accompanying trailer and towed swiftly to the winery.

Each vine takes only three seconds to harvest, and all grapes will travel from trellis to tank in less than twenty minutes. Combined with the low nocturnal temperature, mechanical harvesting ensures the fruit is delivered to the winery in peak condition.