Harvest time is always awaited by producers with a mixture of excitement and dread: the former to get their hands on the results of their hard work, the latter because - as anyone who has harvested can confirm - they come out really tired.
These months, in the country villages, there are few other topics besides this one, and it is all hubbub and speculation as to when one begins and when the other.
In fact, the timing of the harvest is influenced by a large number of variables, starting with the type of soil, the stratification of the terrain, the type of cultivation, theexposure, and arriving at the type of cultivation and the choices that each producer makes to enhance a certain characteristic of the grape in the respective wine he wants to obtain (more acidity, more fragrance, less tannin, etc.).
You have probably already heard that you start with the whites...
Arneis
This indigenous white grape variety of the Roero produces a fresh wine with floral aromas and discreet acidity.
The different vintages influence the results of its harvest in a particular way: this is because it is mainly cultivated in the typical loose soils of the Roero, which are critical in terms ofwater storage.
In fact, the timing of the harvest is influenced by a large number of variables, starting with the type of soil, the stratification of the terrain, the type of cultivation, theexposure, and arriving at the type of cultivation and the choices that each producer makes to enhance a certain characteristic of the grape in the respective wine he wants to obtain (more acidity, more fragrance, less tannin, etc.).
In hot years, sugar levels were already sky-high in August, leading to an early harvest.
In normal years, Arneis reaches maturity in mid-September.
Barbera
Barbera is the most widespread grape variety in our region: very ductile, it can give rise to a variety of products, ranging from young wines to great wines for ageing.
Again, the harvest period varies depending on many factors, and each producer has his own credo, but its ripening time is considered medium-late as it is harvested in late September/early October.
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is cultivated throughout Piedmont: the Langhe and Roero in the south, where it is most widespread, but the Alto Vercellese and Alto Novarese hills in the north, Canavese and Carema.
It is characterised by high vigour and highly variable productivity.
It ripens late, with harvesting in early/mid-October: cultivation is in fact limited to more suitable areas, in vineyards with optimal exposure.
