At Quinta Rosa, we embrace the power of nature. Each year brings a new adventure because it means we must almost daily adapt to the whims of Mother Nature. The harvest is, of course, the culmination of all our work on the land, but even here, we let nature take its course and determine when it’s time to harvest. Naturally, there are guidelines, such as picking the grapes about 90 days after flowering, but that’s just a rough guideline. Temperature and weather conditions play a crucial role, which means the harvest usually takes place in August, sometimes a week earlier or later, depending on Mother Nature. Around that 90th day after flowering, we begin daily tasting and testing of the grape juice using a reflectometer. This is analyzed in our small laboratory. Only when sugars and acids are perfectly balanced do we give the signal to harvest the next day. On the day or evening before the harvest, we inspect the vineyard and remove all clusters that don’t meet the standard. Only the very best ones remain, ready for harvesting. Family, friends and neighbors are then called and invited to the harvest party – because that’s what it truly is! Every year is exciting: how much will we harvest, and what will the quality be. From early morning until noon, we pick grapes, followed by a pleasant lunch together The harvest is in! The eight different grape varieties ripen at different times and are picked at the right moment.