Glera grapes are harvested when their ripeness suits the intended Prosecco, balancing sugar, acidity and grape condition. The date varies with the site and season. Picking methods vary too, so a photograph of a hillside harvest does not describe every bottle on the shelf.
A date in a diary would make harvest easier to explain. The grapes are less obliging. Their ripeness, acidity and condition matter more than whether the calendar says it ought to be time.
For the grower, choosing when to pick is one of the decisions that shapes the wine long before anyone chills a bottle.
When are Prosecco grapes picked?
The Prosecco DOC consortium describes the harvest around late August and early September in its general winemaking guide. Treat that as context, not a fixed appointment that every vineyard keeps each year.
Weather, location and the season affect how grapes develop. The aim includes a suitable balance of sugar and acidity, along with healthy fruit for the intended style.
Are they all picked by hand?
Do not assume one harvesting method covers the entire Prosecco category. Vineyard terrain, equipment, producer practice and applicable appellation requirements matter. A claim about hand harvesting needs evidence for the particular wine.
For Bella Principessa, its DOC identification tells you the category. It does not, on its own, establish the picking method used for a specific bottle.
What happens once the grapes reach the cellar?
The consortium describes getting the harvested grapes to the cellar promptly to protect their condition. Pressing and fermentation then begin the transformation into wine.
Read Prosecco grape pressing for juice extraction and first fermentation for the base-wine stage. Our grapes used in Prosecco guide explains why Glera is central to the wine.
