Author: Azienda Agricola La Badiola

September, in San Pancrazio, is the month in which an entire year's work converges into a few decisive weeks. The harvest is not a single event, but a planned sequence: every variety, every parcel, every exposure has its own optimal moment for picking, and establishing the right order is one of the most delicate decisions of the entire production cycle.

The order of harvesting: why not everything is picked at once

The choice of harvest sequence depends on several agronomic and enological factors:

• Varietal earliness: each grape variety has its own ripening curve. White-berry varieties destined for fresh wines, along with rosés, generally reach technological maturity first, followed by red-berry varieties destined for more structured wines.
• Parcel exposure and microclimate: rows facing south or planted on looser soils ripen earlier than those in cooler areas or on more clay-rich soils, even within the same variety.
• Enological objective: as seen with Merlot (Rosé vs. Riserva), the same variety can be picked at different times depending on the desired outcome — it's not only the vine that dictates timing, but also the winery.
• Ripeness analysis: periodic vineyard sampling (measuring Brix, pH, total acidity, and sensory assessment of skins and seeds) allows a parcel-by-parcel ripeness map to be built, which forms the basis for the harvest schedule.

The result is a genuine logistical-agronomic plan, which also takes into account practical variables such as labor availability and winery processing capacity: you cannot pick more grapes than can be properly pressed and vinified in the following hours.

How harvesting is done today

Modern harvesting, especially for quality production, relies on a balance between targeted mechanization and selective manual picking:

• Manual picking: remains the preferred choice for grapes destined for premium wines or prized parcels, as it allows visual selection of bunches, exclusion of any that aren't perfectly healthy, and gentler transport that reduces oxidation and premature berry breakage.
• Small perforated crates: instead of large bins, low, ventilated containers are used, to prevent the weight of grapes above from crushing the bunches beneath during transport.
• Picking in the cool hours: harvesting often takes place at dawn or in the early morning, to bring the grapes into the winery at lower temperatures, limiting the activity of oxidative enzymes and the onset of unwanted spontaneous fermentation before crushing.
• Mechanical harvesters: used for larger volumes or simpler wines, today equipped with optical sensors and sorting systems that discard leaves, unripe berries, and unsuitable material, drastically reducing subsequent sorting work.

How harvesting used to be done

Until a few decades ago, harvesting was mainly a manual, communal event, often involving families and seasonal laborers for weeks. A few curiosities:

• No laboratory analysis: the decision on picking time relied solely on the winegrower's experience — tasting the berry directly, checking skin color, stem consistency — without the support of refractometers or chemical measurements.
• Transport in baskets and hampers: grapes were picked and carried by hand, often on mule-back or by horse-drawn cart, with much longer transfer times to the winery compared to today, and consequently greater exposure to oxidation.
• Foot treading: a practice now almost vanished from industrial production but still present in traditional/demonstrative contexts, it used the gentle pressure of the human foot to break the skin without crushing the seeds, avoiding the extraction of excessively bitter tannins.
• Harvest dictated by calendar and local tradition, not data: in many areas, the start date of the harvest was set by local custom or even by religious events in the rural calendar, rather than by actual ripeness monitoring.

Tradition and technology, together

Today, the harvest at La Badiola combines the best of both worlds: the sensitivity and manual attention that have always characterized quality viticulture, paired with the scientific support that allows intervention at the exact moment each parcel is ready — reducing the margin of error that was once left entirely to experience and instinct.

August, in San Pancrazio, is the month in which the destiny of every Merlot parcel is decided. The choice of picking time is never arbitrary: it depends on the constant monitoring of two key parameters — sugar content and total acidity — together with the organoleptic assessment of phenolic ripeness in the skins and seeds.

Rosé: early harvest and white-style vinification on red grapes

For the Rosé, picking takes place ahead of full technological ripeness, when the sugar/acidity ratio is still shifted in favor of total acidity (indicative target: lower pH, higher TA), a condition that preserves the primary aromatic component — terpenes and varietal compounds responsible for floral and fruity notes.

In the winery, the short-maceration rosé vinification technique is used: the grapes are crushed and the must left in contact with the skins for a limited period (generally a few hours), just long enough to extract sufficient anthocyanins to define the color, without releasing excess tannins and polyphenols. This is followed by early draining off and fermentation at controlled temperature (typically 16–18°C), carried out in stainless steel to preserve freshness and primary aromatic profile. No oak aging: the wine is intended for consumption within the year following harvest.

Riserva: late harvest and maximizing phenolic ripeness

For the Merlot destined for the Riserva, the strategy is the opposite: the aim is to reach full phenolic ripeness, not just technological ripeness. This means monitoring not only sugar accumulation, but above all the ripening of skin and seed tannins, which must evolve from green, astringent tannins into soft, rounded ones — a process that requires additional time on the vine compared to the Rosé.

The later harvest results in higher sugar concentration (and consequently higher potential alcohol) and reduced total acidity, balanced by a richer polyphenolic structure. In the winery, vinification involves extended maceration (days, not hours) to maximize the extraction of color, tannins, and aromatic precursors, followed by malolactic fermentation to soften the acid profile. Aging then takes place in wood — barrique or large cask, depending on the winery's protocol — for an extended period, allowing micro-oxygenation, integration of tertiary notes, and stabilization of the tannic structure.

Two protocols, one grape variety

The case of Merlot at La Badiola is a concrete example of how the same variety, on the same terroir, can generate completely divergent enological profiles based on two variables: the timing of harvest and the vinification protocol chosen. This is not a compromise, but two paths planned from the very start of the season, each optimized for the desired final result.