The Harvest Season Series #3: Harvest Traditions in Different Wine Regions

Harvest season is not only about picking grapes but is deeply entwined with cultural traditions, local customs, and community celebrations. Each region brings its unique history, climate, and terrain into the harvest, making the process not just an agricultural task but a meaningful step for the communities identifying themselves as part of that region.

We’re going to take a look at the harvest traditions in six of the world’s most prestigious wine regions – Bordeaux, Champagne, Piemonte, Rioja, the Douro Valley, and Tokaji – and how these regions have cultivated unique practices that reflect their specific terroir, grapes, winemaking philosophy and ultimately the people living and working in these famed regions.

Bordeaux – Tradition, Patience and Marathons

The winemakers of Bordeaux, home to some of the world’s most revered wines, have learned to place a premium on precision during harvest. Proximity to the Atlantic Ocean means harvests can be unpredictable and their timing is crucial to achieving top quality wines. The harvest season, known as “la vendange”, typically lasts from late August into mid-October, depending on the weather, grape variety and style of wine.

The harvest in Bordeaux is still largely done by hand, especially in the top estates, despite the growing popularity of mechanical harvesting in lower-tier vineyards. Some châteaux host celebratory meals and parties for the harvesters, a tradition rooted in the sense of community around wine production. The annual Marathon du Médoc, Bordeaux’s wine marathon, takes place on the second Saturday of September, adding to the festival spirit of the time.

Champagne – Villages Come Alive!

This cool, northern region of France relies on delicate timing and an understanding of the balance between acidity and ripeness essential for Champagne’s freshness and longevity.

In Champagne, grapes are harvested entirely by hand, as machine harvesting can damage the delicate grape skins, leading to oxidation and loss of quality. This hand-picking tradition is also driven by the requirement to press the grapes gently to avoid colouring the juice, especially in the case of the black-skinned Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier varieties.

The demand for manual labour at harvest makes “vendanges” in Champagne a major event. Villages come alive with festivity as locals and seasonal workers come together to collect the grapes. After long days in the vineyard, meals and celebrations are shared, often with music, dancing, and, of course, plenty of Champagne!

Piedmont – Identity Formed by the Harvest

The rolling hills of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Alb, in Italy’s north-western Piemonte region, produce some of the world’s finest Nebbiolo wines. They are also famous for Moscato, Barbera and Dolcetto varieties, amongst others. Given the large spread of grapes and styles, the harvest season in Piemonte is one of the longest, usually beginning in mid-August and extending deep into October.

Hand-harvesting is usually required, particularly for Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto grapes, as the steep vineyards make mechanical harvesting impossible. Families, friends, and local workers gather to hand-pick the grapes, making the event a community effort. There is a strong sense of family tradition during the harvest, as many vineyards have been passed down through generations.

In Piemonte, it’s common for the harvest to be followed by a large communal meal known as a “festa della vendemmia.” This celebration features regional, often warming dishes such as the local tajarin (egg pasta), truffles, and rich meats, accompanied by new wines or older vintages that have matured over time.

Rioja – Festivals after The Hard Work

Rioja’s three subregions — Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Oriental — vary hugely in elevation and climate, leading to a staggered harvest that begins in late August and can last through October.

Hand-harvesting is common in Rioja, though some producers use machines for larger vineyards in the flatter areas of Alta and Oriental. The region’s most important harvest festival, La Fiesta de la Vendimia is held in Logroño, the capital, at the end of September. This vibrant celebration includes parades, dancing, and the symbolic grape stomping—a tribute to traditional winemaking methods.

While the festival is a time of celebration and fun, it was actually followed by weeks of intense labour, with growers and producers dedicating their efforts to the harvest before finally relaxing to enjoy the fruits of their hard work.

Carlos Mazo Gutiérrez from Vinos en Voz Baja in Rioja Oriental shared a glimpse into his daily life during this busy season of the year.

“Perhaps without a little distance in our daily lives, everything seems normal to us, and it is when we have visits from people from other countries that we realise our customs and our codes. In our winery, the harvest is simple. We do it between my father and myself. Every afternoon we decide which vineyard we will harvest the next day. At dawn, we’d harvested the 80 boxes that we had to fill each day. Afterwards, we take them to the winery and pour them into the wooden tubs to tread the grapes. Exhausted! We then talk again for a while to organise the next day. Believe me, we are both tired as the days go by, and I carry an extra burden to concentrate on making sure everything goes well, it is not so much a time for partying, but for dedication to work…” 

The Douro Valley – Steep Slopes and Foot Stomping

One of the most visually stunning wine regions in the world, the home of port wine is resplendent with steep, terraced vineyards that cascade down the riverbanks. This makes the harvest season both a physical and cultural challenge. The harvest typically begins in September, but the dramatic landscape means that hand-picking is the only viable option for collecting the grapes.

The harvest in the Douro Valley is an event that brings together local families, temporary workers, and often tourists who are welcomed by the larger Quintas (i.e. wineries) to experience the process firsthand. Once the grapes are harvested, the tradition of foot treading in granite lagares (large stone troughs) is still practised in many places. Workers stand in line, often linking arms and barefoot, stomping the grapes to the rhythm of singing and music.

Tokaji – Harvesting From mid-August to November

Hungary’s Tokaji region is known for producing sweet Tokaji Aszú wines from grapes affected by noble rot. The production of dry wines too, however, means that harvest season in Tokaji can stretch from mid-August to as late as November.

The harvest in Tokaji is highly labour-intensive, especially for Aszú wines. Workers must only pick the individual grapes that have been affected by noble rot. This meticulous process is repeated several times throughout the harvest, as not all grapes are ready for harvest at the same time. The long hours and precision required make the Tokaji harvest one of the most challenging in the world. A true destination for seasonal workers to test their fortitude!

To keep the workers going, producers usually lay on hearty meals at the end of each day, often featuring Hungarian goulash, sausages, and bread, paired with the region’s drier Furmint wines.

This Blog post is written by Mike Turner
Freelance wine writer, presenter and judge

Mike is a regular contributor for The Buyer magazine and is a certified educator and ambassador for Bordeaux, Rioja, Ribera Del Duero, Barolo and Barbaresco, running trade and consumer events across the UK from his base in the East Midlands.

Next in The Harvest Season Series #2: What Does Poor Harvest Mean for Wine Lovers?