Turistic harvest and Grappoli di Luna 2.0

Following the new protocol governing "tourist harvesting," La Vigna di Sarah has expanded its overnight harvesting proposal to include wine tourists.

Grappoli di Luna (Bunches of the Moon) is the name of the event, now in its 9th edition, that opens the doors of the winery but especially of the vineyards of La Vigna di Sarah, Sarah dei Tos's winery located in the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a Unesco heritage site and home of Prosecco Superiore Docg.

Grappoli di Luna is also the name of Sarah's first Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore made with grapes harvested at night, a protocol now applied to the entire production of her wines, so much so that she has created a label for it called "night harvest" that now appears on all labels.

The advantages of harvesting at night: beyond the (admittedly particularly Instagrammable) allure that harvesting at night takes on, there are actually implications primarily from a technical point of view. Simplifying, cool temperatures help preserve primary aromas of the grapes (try to imagine in contrast what temperatures can reach during the day after hours on a tractor wagon waiting for delivery to the winery). Arriving at the crush with cooler clusters also has important implications from an energy standpoint. Indeed, cooling the bunches and the crushed grapes will be easier and less wasteful. Speaking of sustainability, it should not only be seen as economic/energy but also social. Harvesting with 40°C I assure you that it is tiring and dangerous even for the most daring. Low temperatures also allow for wise dosing of added sulfites. I could go on but I won't, I think it is already quite obvious that this is not just a marketing choice.

Sarah, however, is not satisfied. And after creating the "night grape harvest" brand and devising for the 9th year in a row an event for friends, clients, press and authorities, as soon as it was possible she seized the ball and opened the doors to tourists eager to experience the tourist grape harvest firsthand, strictly at night, in a sort of Grapes of the Moon 2.0. Last July 12, 2023, in fact, the first important Protocol was signed between the National Labor Inspectorate and Le Città del Vino that officially regulates the Tourist Harvest. A protocol that unequivocally establishes that the Tourist Harvest is an experiential event that has nothing to do with moonlighting or labor exploitation. Thanks to this protocol, La Vigna di Sarah, on September 19, 2023, in the moonlight, saw the first nighttime tourist grape harvest take place in which citizens and tourists from all over the world took part.

Sarah, a tenacious young woman, immediately invested in this initiative, believing strongly in the ability of this activity to convey to the end consumer the value and tradition behind the act of picking a bunch of grapes. Of course... all that glitters is not gold; the protocol can be improved and hopefully eased. At the moment, this requires that due communications to the S.U.A.P. of the local municipality by the producer take place in advance, the details of the participants, the time of the activity (within a maximum range), the rows intended for this activity, and also that there is a tutor figure (one for every tot of guests).

In Sarah's opinion, there are really a few too many steps that tend to discourage patrons rather than bring them closer to the daily winery experience... whether the bureaucratic future will be rosier and more agile, I asked Marco Giuri, a lawyer for several wine companies as well as an expert on wine tourism. From talking with him, it emerged that the excessive bureaucratization of the procedure is indeed a problem raised both in round table discussions with Consortia and with Trade Associations. For this reason, starting from the next vintage, he will propose a lightening of the procedure and an increasingly autonomous management that will first of all exclude the sharing of sensitive data of grape pickers with the municipality. It will propose the use of an internal register in the companies about the tourist grape pickers that can be consulted upon request by the Labor Inspectorate, it will also propose greater flexibility with regard to the rows designated for the tourist grape harvest since deciding in advance where to harvest is not always possible, the weather we still do not govern (and I would say that in the 2023 season we had yet another confirmation of this). Once again, joining forces between consortia, trade associations and producers who can bring their direct experience will be essential.

For those who would like to learn more about the protocol and keep developments monitored, I also point out that Studio Giuri, with Professione Consulenti and Consolve Srl, has overseen the creation of the portal vendemmia-turistica.it. Due to click on it...

While waiting for the next vintage night, or to go visit Sarah in person at La Vigna di Sarah at her winery perhaps staying at the attached Agriturismo, here is a tasting of the 2022 vintage of Grappoli di Luna, versione extra brut di un Conegliano Valdobbiadene da vendemmia notturna (click on the name to read the tasting notes).                           

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