Only a few days and in the vineyards of Tenuta Torciano in Tuscany will begin collecting grapes for wine production with 2017 vintage.
In TENUTA TORCIANO, central Tuscany, drought has always produced great vintages such as 2012, 2011 and 1998 having tuff and alluvial soils that manage to store a certain amount of water in depth, a reserve needed in the case of droughts.
Even this vintage is expected to be a good vintage, also favored by the arrival of the thermal excursion arrived in mid-August, where we have cool temperatures during the night and hot during the day.
There will be a lower amount of grapes produced, about 30% less than the other vintages, caused by the great summer heat and drought in part and the late frosts in the spring, probably a 2017 vintage among the poorest since the postwar period to today, with a drop in wine production around 25%.
Another point to note is that the 2017 vintage is ranked as the earliest in the last decade; so we are anticipating harvesting about 10 days from last year. All generated by a dry and mild climate during the winter, where vine had in the spring an early awakening and emitting of gems and very hot and with persistent drought throughout the summer.
Wine grapes, like all crops, must also be harvested. “When” and “How” are two of the most important questions that winemakers ask each and every year. We try to illuminate the important themes that concern the harvest in our harvest.
Mother Nature manages all forces
Tips for harvest at Tenuta Torciano
The first point is to determine when to start grape harvesting, given that crops are almost always rewarded, the most patient winemakers, those who know how to wait for the beginning of harvest because they are aware that the more grapes remain on the vine, the higher will be The grape sugar content.
When picking white and red grapes
It is usually white grapes that first reach maturation with the red grape and it is always the white grapes to be harvested for the first time, such as Vernaccia of San Gimignano, Chardonnay, Malvasia.
Follow the red grapes like Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz.
Grapes destined to produce sweet wines are also harvested after two months to reach a high sugar level.
How we harvest grapes
In the vineyards of Tenuta Torciano, vintage is made by hand, using shears and crates to hold grapes. This harvesting system is very long, tiring and expensive, but it gives us the opportunity to choose the best and healthy grapes and therefore have a high quality wine production.
We do not use mechanical harvesting as many other companies do.
Harvesting the grapes with the machines does not give the chance to select good grapes from the bad ones, and plant chips to drop the grapes can be dangerous to the vineyards, damaging them, and the materials that are harvested together with the grapes are Of the most varied ones, such as stems, leaves and small animals that are at that moment on the plant.
To conclude the presentation of the trend of the 2017 vintage in Tenuta Torciano and waiting for the new wine, I wish everyone a great vintage.
