The grape harvest is one of the most eagerly anticipated moments of the year at a winery. After months of monitoring the vines’ development, tending to each plot, and analyzing the grapes’ ripeness, the time comes to harvest the fruit. That’s when we get to taste one of the most direct expressions of each vineyard: the first must of the season.
Before becoming wine, grapes undergo a long journey during which their aromas, flavors, and structure gradually transform. Tasting the freshly pressed must offers a glimpse into the beginning of that process and reveals how each variety expresses itself through its first juice.
What is first-press juice?
Must is the liquid obtained by crushing or pressing freshly harvested grapes, before alcoholic fermentation begins. At this early stage, it retains the fruit’s natural sugar, its acidity, and much of its primary aromas.
Although at first glance it may seem like just grape juice, its flavor reveals a great deal. It can be sweet and fruity, but also fresh, tart, floral, citrusy, or slightly vegetal. It all depends on the variety, the stage of ripeness, the conditions of the vintage, and the vineyard where the grapes come from.
The balance between sweetness and acidity gives you an initial idea of the fruit’s condition. However, the must still has to undergo a profound transformation. During fermentation, the yeasts will convert the sugars into alcohol, and new aromas and flavors will emerge. That’s why tasting it is like watching the first chapter of a story whose ending is still to be discovered.
Experience the Grape Harvest with the Martínez Bujanda Family
At the Martínez Bujanda family’s estates, the grape harvest offers different ways to explore the origins of wine. Tasting the must, sampling the freshly picked grapes, or returning to the vineyard to help with the second harvest allows visitors to experience this pivotal moment from a more intimate and hands-on perspective.
Finca Montepedroso: Verdejo Before It Becomes Wine
At Finca Montepedroso, located in the heart of the Rueda D.O., the Verdejo harvest requires precision to preserve the grape’s freshness, acidity, and characteristic aromas.
The temperature of the grapes and the speed at which they reach the winery are particularly important in the production of white wines. For this reason, every decision is made with the aim of protecting the fruit and preventing oxidation from the moment of harvest.
During visits to Origen Montepedroso that coincide with the grape harvest, visitors will be able to taste the first must of the season. This is an opportunity to learn about the unique characteristics of the Verdejo grape and discover the starting point for Finca Montepedroso’s wines.
Finca Valpiedra: From the Grape on the Vine to the Must
At Finca Valpiedra in La Rioja, the experience begins right in the vineyard. Tasting a grape straight from the vine or freshly picked allows you to assess its texture, the thickness of its skin, the sweetness of its flesh, and the condition of its seeds.
During the Essential Harvest Tour, participants will be able to compare the freshly picked grapes with the first must produced at the winery. This brief sensory tour helps visitors understand how the fruit begins to transform from the moment it leaves the vineyard.
Not all plots or varieties ripen at the same time. That’s why touring the estate during these weeks provides a better understanding of the monitoring and selection process that precedes each winemaking batch.
Finca Antigua: The Tradition of the Rebusca
At Finca Antigua, the grape harvest will be experienced through the “rebusca,” a tradition that involves returning to the vineyard to pick the bunches of grapes that remain on the vines after the harvest.
The event will take place at the Pico Garbanzo site, the origin of Clavis. Visitors will be provided with all the necessary equipment and will be able to harvest their own bunches of grapes before tasting the must and discovering the wine produced from this vineyard. The experience will be rounded out with a tour of the winery, including an appetizer and a wine tasting paired with Manchego cheese.
The grape harvest, the key moment of the year
The harvest represents a significant portion of the work carried out throughout the vine’s entire life cycle. It is the moment when decisions are made about which grapes will be brought into the winery, under what conditions they will be brought in, and how their transformation into wine will begin.
During these weeks, the vineyard and the winery operate at the same pace. We step up our monitoring of ripeness, grape selection, and the organization of each harvest, because even a difference of just a few days can affect the wine’s freshness, acidity, aromas, and overall balance.
Visiting the Martínez Bujanda family’s vineyards at this time of year gives you a better understanding of the entire process: tasting the grapes, sampling the first must, and experiencing one of the most crucial moments of the wine-growing year. Come share this unique moment with us!
