The cycle of the vine

Eva Pizarro

Sommelier at Fierro restaurant and trainer at Tandem Gastronómico.

These days, we find ourselves amid the grape harvest. It's the time for grapes, when winemakers are filled with anticipation, and the roads are filled with trailers carrying the sweet scent of grapes to the winery to be transformed into wine.  But before reaching this point, we have been through a long year since the vine began its cycle once again.

WHAT IS THE VINE’S CYCLE?

The journey of the vine is neither easy nor short, and today we’ll explain it to help you understand the wine you’re pouring into your glass, allowing you to enjoy it even more.

As we approach the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, it’s harvest time – time to gather the fruit of the vine that has developed throughout the year. The red grapes have turned shades of red and purple, while the white grapes have become translucent and golden. This stage is known as ‘veraison’.

The grapes have ripened, with their sugars necessary for fermentation increasing, while the acids decrease. This is the time for measuring, analysing and tasting the grapes to decide the optimum time to harvest them.

This year, we've had an extremely dry and hot spring and summer, causing the harvest to start earlier
in almost every region of Spain. As I write these lines, at the end of August, some areas of La Rioja are announcing the beginning of the harvest, which is quite unusual. In Andalusia, grapes were being picked at the beginning of August, and in Valencia and Alicante, we’re in the middle of the harvest season.

As you can see, this is not an exact science. The timing of the harvest depends on several factors, including the climatic conditions of the region and the style of wine that the winemaker intends to produce.

If you stroll through the vineyards right now, you'll see some viticulturists hand-picking the fruit with baskets in hand, while others opt for machines to speed up and simplify this labour-intensive task. Once again, we’re faced with one of those decisions that the winemaker makes based on the type of wine they wish to create: manual harvest or mechanical harvest.
 

FROM THE VINEYARD TO THE WINERY

This is where the grapes undergo their greatest transformation from fruit to must and, after fermentation, into wine. The winemaker then decides how long to age the wine before bottling it for the market.

Meanwhile, out in the fields, life continues after the grape harvest. As the cold winter months arrive, the vine enters a dormant phase. As the cold winter months arrive, the vine enters a dormant phase. During this vegetative rest, the shoots dry out and fall away, while the canes harden and become woody.

This is the time for winter pruning. While the plant rests, unwanted leaves and old wood are removed, and the vine is shaped for the next production cycle. This is a crucial moment, as these actions will influence the quality of the fruit in the following harvest.

In March and April, in the Northern Hemisphere, the vines begin to bud. In the Southern Hemisphere, these stages occur at different times of the year, and the harvest happens during this period.

Budding marks the start of growth, with the plant increasing its vital activity after the cold months, developing shoots and leaves until flowering and fruit setting in late spring, when it’s sufficiently warm.

And we are back to square one:'veraison'. We'll wait for the fruit to ripen enough to begin a new harvest, one that will never be the same as the last and will depend on everything that has happened throughout the year – climate, vine management, and more – which gives meaning to the concept of vintage.

Each wine is the result of what has happened over the years, reflecting the work and personality of its winemaker and the location of the vineyard. This is what makes wine magical: it’s a reflection of the moments we live.

Good harvest, winemakers!