It’s Time to Harvest in the Vineyards of Orcia Doc Wine

All the stages of Sangiovese grape picking, the variety which produces Orcia Wine

September and October are the months when grapes are harvested and  in the Orcia wine vineyards the work of picking and selecting the grapes begins. This grape variety, typical of the Orcia territory, after the phase of fermentation in the winery leads to the production of an intensely red wine with a fruity, gentle and relatively fresh taste: in brief, the identity card of Orcia doc wine. However, to obtain this result in the bottle, the process is long and complicated, Mother Nature and climatic phenomena are always kept in mind. The associations involved  declare that they are optimistic about a good quality vintage, in spite of lower than average spring  temperatures, sporadic frosts and excessively damp soil  which worried producers particularly in the north  east of Italy, recent temperature ranges and generally the climate during summer.

Sangiovese is in most of the grapes used to produce prestigious Tuscan wines such as Brunello of Montalcino and Chianti, and the grapes must ripen slowly so that the tannins evolve gradually. In the phase preceding harvesting the work on  the vine ( elimination of excessive leaves and unripened bunches of grapes) is decisive. When the ripening reaches an optimum level, verified by analysis in situ by tasting the grape (which must be crisp) and in the laboratory on sugar levels, then the harvesting can start. It is usually done by hand and the bunches of grapes are put into plastic boxes with holes for air. Then the grapes are transferred to the cellars where they are once more checked and selected . After this they are left to rest in vats where the process of fermentation takes place over a period of three weeks. At the end of this phase they are drawn off.

So, we are optimistic about the results of this vintage. The grapes are great and as for the production the expectation is for about 2.6 million hectoliters of wine in Tuscany alone.