Vendimia, Mendoza’s National Harvest Festival

Vendimia begins in early March with the Blessing of the Fruit, a ceremony where thanks are given and blessings exchanged. As with every step in a wine’s journey, decisions based upon timing and circumstance are part of the dance that ultimately leads to great wine.

A potential impact on timing during the harvest is rain. If harvest season follows a hot summer, grapes will be ready for an earlier harvest. If the season finishes with heavy rainfall, it had to be postponed. While the rain is not bad for the grapes, they can become bloated with water after several days of rain. Since we are looking for more concentrated grapes, we let bloated grapes settle before hand picking them and walking them to the sorting tables.