Photo by Spencer DeMera on Unsplash
As previously mentioned, wine making is a blend of scientific and artistic expression. Another aspect that is often regarded as an art form is “green harvesting.”
Winemakers sometimes remove clusters of maturing fruit from grapevines before they ripen, a process called “green harvesting” or “crop thinning.”
This is done for several reasons:
Improved Fruit Quality: By redirecting the vine’s energy to the remaining grapes, green harvesting allows them to ripen more fully. This enhanced ripeness can lead to a concentration of flavors, sugars, and acids, and ultimately results in higher-quality wine.
Controlled Yield: A vine has a limited capacity to produce grapes. If it’s overloaded, it may not yield the best fruit. So,k thinning the clusters reduces the yield, often leading to more intense and complex flavors.
Better Ripening: With fewer grapes on the vine, the remaining clusters may receive more sunlight and airflow, facilitating even ripening. This is particularly crucial in cooler growing regions or during challenging weather conditions.
Disease Prevention: Removing clusters, like trimming the canopy, improves air circulation around the remaining grapes, reducing the risk of mold, mildew, and other diseases that can negatively impact fruit quality.
Green Harvesting, a practice that blends science and art, requires an artistic touch to make precise decisions at the right time. Here’s why it’s considered an art form:
Timing: Winemakers must make a delicate balance between thinning clusters and preserving the vine’s health and desired wine style. The optimal timing depends on an understanding of the vineyard, the season, and the grape variety.
Knowing the Right Amount to Trim: Determining the appropriate number of clusters to remove and which ones yield the best results is not straightforward. It involves removing just enough to enhance quality without compromising quantity.
Balance: Winemakers try to achieve overall vine balance. The goal is to ensure that the vine’s growth and fruit development lead to the best possible outcome, not just for the coming harvest but also for future ones.
Knowing the Terroir: Different regions, climates, and even specific vineyards (terroir) require unique green harvesting approaches. A skilled winemaker adapts the technique to suit the unique conditions of their vineyard.
Shaping the Environment: Ultimately, the objective is to enhance the wine’s quality, an artistic endeavor in itself. The winemaker essentially crafts the wine by shaping the environment in which the grapes grow. This involves making decisions that influence the wine’s complexity, structure, and character.
So, while green harvesting involves knowledge and technique, it’s also a creative and intuitive process—definitely an art as much as it is a science. Cheers!
