Efemérides: La Vendimia
Cuando pisa racimos
tu abarca verde,
tu pie se vuelve sangre,
mi sangre nieve.
Pisa las uvas,
que como mis amores
ya están maduras.
"Canción de los vendimiadores", Los hijos de la piedra
— Miguel Hernández
The grape was considered a divine gift to bring pleasure and delight to mankind.
It is likely that the Greeks from Asia Minor were the ones who brought the first vines to the Spanish shores. Wine has been produced on the Iberian Peninsula for over 2,000 years, and the vine doesn’t thrive in just any soil. Grapes require contrasts: cold winters and hot summers. From the time they awaken from their winter slumber in spring until the clusters are perfectly ripe for harvest, whether day or night, anything can happen: storms, frost, hail, plagues. Extremes of too much or too little sun. Viticulturists never fully rest.
That’s why the vendimia has always been celebrated with such joy. As the saying goes, ‘Por San Miguel, vino y miel’—which translates as ‘By Saint Michael (29th of September), wine and honey.’
Enriquezco tu mano
cortando uvas
cubiertas por los soles
y por las lunas.
¡Ay si quisieras
que cortara tus besos
con mis tijeras!
"Canción de los vendimiadores", Los hijos de la piedra
— Miguel Hernández
The vendimiador begins at dawn, which in the past could mean long walks during the night to be in the vineyard by daybreak. Grape ripening requires specific timing for harvesting, and this window is brief with a delicate balance: it’s important to avoid harvesting grapes that are wet from rain, dew, or fog (as moisture can affect the must), and it’s also unwise to harvest during the hottest part of the day to prevent early fermentation. The vendimia must continue without interruption, and the grapes need to move from viña to the bodega as swiftly as possible. For all these reasons, this is the vineyard’s busiest time, a process of just a few days where the work of an entire year is at stake.
Now, horse-drawn carts have mostly been replaced by trailers pulled by tractors, and wicker canastos have given way to fiberglass baskets. Yet, at its core, the grape harvest is still as it was before—done by hand. The smaller or more inexperienced hands pick the grapes, while the people working in the winery control their temperature, the press, and other processes.
For clarete, the must is separated from the pomace in the press and immediately placed in vats and barrels where it ferments. In the case of blanco (white wine), the must ferments on its own. For tinto (red wine), the must is kept with the pomace and left to ferment at rest in the winepress. After the necessary days during which fermentation and the maceration of skins, seeds, and pulp take place simultaneously, the young wine is transferred to vats and barrels for the fermentation to continue.
In many wine regions of the Old and New World, Harvest Festivals are held. At the end of summer (each in its own time), the first grapes are pressed, the must is offered to the local patron, a Reina or Bodeguera Mayor is selected, and, for one day, the town’s fountain flows with wine instead of water.
Quevedo (the poet of the Siglo de Oro, not the Canarian singer) once wrote that:
Para conservar la salud y cobrarla si se pierde, conviene alargar
en todo y en todas maneras el uso del beber vino, por ser,
con moderación, el mejor vehículo del alimento y la más
eficaz medicina.
To maintain health and recover it if lost, it is advisable to prolong in every way the use of drinking wine, for it is, in moderation, the best vehicle for nourishment and the most effective medicine.
El Gran Señor de los Turcos
— Francisco Quevedo
We’re not so sure that wine is as amazing as a medicine as Quevedo defends, but we do love it, and what we know is that in an age of high speed and virtual reality, it’s very important not to forget our bond with the soil, and it’s even more crucial to celebrate it.