The moment it all begins
There is a moment in the year when the vineyard stops waiting and starts giving. The leaves change colour, the air carries the scent of ripe grapes, and in the cellar, everything is ready.
It's called harvest — and it's not just the moment when grapes are picked. It's the moment wine is born.
The ripe berries are brought to the cellar, transformed into must, and then, thanks to alcoholic fermentation, into wine. But the harvest is much more than a production process: it is an agricultural tradition rich in cultural and social value, deeply rooted in the land and the people who inhabit it.
When to harvest: the right ripeness
The harvest does not have a fixed date. It happens when the grapes are ready — and understanding when they are requires experience, attention, and knowledge of the territory.
Ideal ripeness is assessed through three distinct parameters:
- Technological ripeness — the ratio between sugars and acidity. Sugars fuel fermentation and determine alcohol content; acidity ensures freshness and longevity to the wine
- Phenolic ripeness — the state of tannins and pigments in the skins, fundamental for structured red wines destined for aging
- Aromatic ripeness — the development of the primary aromas of the grape, which will determine the bouquet of the final wine
These three types of ripeness do not always coincide. Finding the moment when they are best balanced — depending on the wine you want to produce — is one of the most important decisions of the year for a winemaker.
The harvest in Villasimius: September between granite and the sea
The harvest period varies depending on the grape variety, climate, and the style of wine desired. In Sardinia, the intense summer heat often anticipates ripening compared to other Italian regions.
At Colline del Vento, we begin harvesting between the first two weeks of September. This is when the grapes reach the balance we seek — sufficient sugars for complete fermentation, acidity still alive thanks to the cooler late-summer nights, aromas that already carry within them the granite, the wind, and the sea of Villasimius.
Every year is different. Every year you have to know how to wait — and recognise the right moment when it arrives.
Manual or mechanical harvesting: a quality choice
Grape harvesting can be done in two ways, with very different characteristics and implications.
Manual harvesting is slower, more laborious, and more expensive. But it allows for the selection of each individual bunch — eliminating unripe or damaged fruits, picking only what is truly ready. It is the method chosen for quality wines, because it ensures healthy and intact grapes, the foundation of every good winemaking process.
Mechanical harvesting is faster and more efficient, suitable for large areas. Machines can harvest in a few hours what would take days of manual labour — but without the selection capability that only the eye and hand of an experienced picker can offer.
At Colline del Vento, we harvest by hand. It couldn't be otherwise: five hectares between the sea and the hills of Villasimius, rows we know one by one, grapes we follow from winter. Harvesting them by hand is the most respectful way to conclude a year of work.
The harvest is a collective act
There is something about the harvest that goes beyond work. It is a moment of sharing — hands moving through the rows, baskets filling up, the scent rising in the warm September air.
In Sardinia, this collective dimension has ancient roots. Like bread, like honey, like everything that slowly comes from the earth — the harvest has always been a communal event, a time when families gathered, neighbours helped each other, work became a celebration.
We try to keep that tradition alive. And every year, when the last boxes enter the cellar, we pause for a moment — because what we have in our hands is already, in some way, wine.
Salude e trigu.
