WSET Diploma D1 Exercises (Harvest)

Answer

Ripeness is determined by the producer based on the ideal wine style they aim to achieve. This is assessed using parameters such as sugar levels, aroma profile, tannin maturity, and acidity.

The timing of grape harvest is influenced by multiple factors, including wine style, climate conditions, and the risk of rainfall during the harvest period.

From a stylistic perspective, if the goal is to produce a light, fresh wine with high acidity or a sparkling wine, the grapes are harvested early. For sweet wines, the harvest is delayed to allow for higher sugar accumulation. In cool climates, aroma development is slow, and acidity decreases gradually, so harvest is generally postponed until the aromas reach their optimal expression. However, if rainfall during the harvest season becomes a concern, producers may be forced to pick earlier than desired. As a result, the wine may develop unripe aromas, low alcohol, high acid and firm, astringent tannins.

Grading Criteria

• Determination of ripeness
  • For pointing out that ripeness is determined by the producer based on the ideal wine style they aim to achieve, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this is assessed using parameters such as sugar levels, aroma profile, tannin maturity, and acidity, you get 1 point.
• Deciding the harvest timing
  • For pointing out that the timing of grape harvest is influenced by wine style, climate conditions, and the risk of rainfall during the harvest period, you get 1 point each, for a total of 3 points.
• How this decision influences the final wine style
  • Wine style
    • For explaining that if the goal is to produce a light, fresh wine with high acidity or a sparkling wine, the grapes are harvested early, you get 1 point.
    • For explaining that the harvest for sweet wines is delayed to allow for higher sugar accumulation, you get 1 point.
  • Climate conditions
    • For pointing out that aroma development is slow and acidity decreases gradually in cool climates, you get 1 point.
    • For explaining that in cool climates, harvest is generally postponed until the aromas reach their optimal expression, you get 1 point.
  • The risk of rainfall
    • For pointing out that if rainfall during the harvest season becomes a concern, producers may be forced to pick earlier than desired, you get 1 point.
    • For explaining that this may result in wines with unripe aromas, low alcohol, high acidity, and firm, astringent tannins, you get 1 point.

Answer

One of the key advantages of hand harvesting is the ability to inspect each grape individually. This allows for the careful selection of healthy, fully ripe grapes, preventing the development of undesirable aromas in the wine. When harvesting grapes affected by noble rot, manual selection is essential to ensure only the desired botrytized grapes are picked. Additionally, if whole bunches are required, hand harvesting is the only option, as machines cannot pick intact clusters. Another benefit is that hand harvesting typically uses small baskets, minimizing the risk of grapes being crushed during collection.

However, the primary drawback of hand harvesting is its high labor cost. The larger the vineyard, the more expensive the process becomes. When harvesting noble rot-affected grapes, multiple passes through the vineyard are required, further increasing costs.

In contrast, machine harvesting offers significant cost advantages. Regardless of vineyard size, machines can efficiently harvest all grapes within the optimal time frame. For producers of inexpensive wines, minimizing harvesting costs is essential, making machine harvesting the preferred choice. Another advantage is that machines can operate at night when temperatures are cooler, reducing the risk of oxidation.

The main disadvantages of machine harvesting include the need for vineyard infrastructure. Growers must prepare access roads and train vines in specific systems such as cordon or VSP; otherwise, the machines cannot operate. Machine harvesting is also impractical for vineyards located on steep slopes. Additionally, machine harvesting can damage grapes, causing some juice to be released prematurely, which may lead to oxidation.

Grading Criteria

• Advantages of hand harvesting
  • For explaining the advantage of individually inspecting each grape, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this allows for the careful selection of healthy, fully ripe grapes, you get 1 point.
  • For concluding that this helps prevent the development of undesirable aromas in the wine, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this is the only option when harvesting botrytized grapes, you get 1 point.
  • For pointing out that hand harvesting is the only option when whole bunches are required, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this is because machines cannot pick intact grape clusters, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining the advantage of reducing the risk of grapes being crushed during collection, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this is because hand harvesting typically uses small baskets, you get 1 point.
• Disadvantages of hand harvesting
  • For explaining the disadvantage of high labor costs, you get 1 point.
  • For pointing out that the larger the vineyard, the more expensive the process becomes, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that harvesting noble rot-affected grapes requires multiple passes through the vineyard, you get 1 point.
• Advantages of machine harvesting
  • For pointing out that machine harvesting offers significant cost advantages, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this is because machines can efficiently harvest all grapes within the optimal time frame, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that machine harvesting is the preferred choice for producers of inexpensive wines, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining the advantage of operating at night when temperatures are cooler, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this helps reduce the risk of oxidation, you get 1 point.
• Disadvantages of machine harvesting
  • For explaining the disadvantage of requiring vineyard infrastructure, you get 1 point.
  • For listing examples of infrastructure, such as access roads and vines trained in specific systems like cordon or VSP, you get 1 point each, for a total of 2 points.
  • For explaining that machine harvesting is impractical for vineyards located on steep slopes, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining the disadvantage of damaging grapes, causing some juice to be released prematurely, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this may lead to oxidation, you get 1 point.