How Do Winemakers Know When Grapes Are Ready to Harvest?
Written by - Cult Wines Team
Harvest is one of the most important and least formulaic decisions in winemaking. Pick too early, and wines may lack depth, flavour and balance. Pick too late and freshness can fade, tannins can become heavy, and alcohol levels can rise. While modern producers have access to advanced tools including vineyard mapping, weather tracking and lab analysis, the decision still relies heavily on judgement, tasting and experience.
In this article, we explore how winemakers determine when grapes are ready to harvest, from colour change and berry size to flavour development, tannin ripeness and weather conditions. It also examines how factors such as grape variety, terroir, vineyard health and intended wine style influence picking decisions, and why no two harvests are ever the same.
Whether assessing Bordeaux during En Primeur or following the growing season in Burgundy, harvest timing remains one of the clearest reflections of a producer’s skill, philosophy and understanding of the vineyard.
Read the Guide
News in brief
Lloyd Webber Wine Auction Raises £500,000 for Charity
A Christie’s auction featuring rare wines from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s cellar raised £517,910 for music education charity MiSST, with every lot sold. Highlights included Château Margaux 1900, which fetched £35,000, and several high-value Domaine de la Romanée-Conti lots, including Romanée-Conti 2005 and La Tâche 2005. Bidders from 28 countries took part, with all hammer proceeds supporting free musical instruments and tuition for schoolchildren through The Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme.
White Wine Trade Value Surges Since 2010
White wine’s trade value has risen by around 650% since 2010, according to Liv-ex, reflecting a major shift in fine wine market demand. Sparkling wines grew even faster, up about 1,100%, though their pandemic-era boom has since corrected. White Burgundy has been the key winner, overtaking Bordeaux as the leading white wine category on Liv-ex, helped by stronger mid-price trading and stability at the top end. The data suggests traders are becoming more selective and increasingly guided by long-term demand signals.
Vinexpo Asia Signals Shift Towards Permanent Home
Vinexposium is considering ending Vinexpo Asia’s rotating Hong Kong and Singapore format, with CEO Rodolphe Lameyse revealing that a permanent base could be chosen from 2027 onwards. Speaking at Vinexpo Asia Hong Kong 2026, Lameyse said exhibitors are increasingly demanding stability and a more consolidated presence in Asia. Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai are all being considered, with the final decision expected to depend on which city can offer the strongest long-term commercial environment for the wine trade.
What we’re drinking
F.X. Pichler Dürnsteiner Kellerberg
Riesling Smaragd
Sean Wright, Fine Wine Buyer - Cult Wines
The Wachau is one of the most striking vineyard sites in Europe, and arguably the finest wine region in Austria. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this outstanding wine region follows a dramatic stretch of the Danube, with vineyards rising in narrow terraces from the riverbank on slopes so steep they invariably have to be worked by hand.
These steep south-facing terraces soak up the warmth throughout the day and are tempered at night by cool air descending from the forested hills to the north and the Alps to the west, a contrast that imbues Wachau Riesling with its enviable combination of concentration and tension.
F.X. Pichler is one of Austria's most revered producers, and a name that deserves to be considered alongside the great Riesling houses of Germany and Alsace. Based in Dürnstein, the family farms a handful of the valley's top sites, of which the Kellerberg, a steep, south-facing amphitheatre on stony, mineral-rich soils just above the village, is among the most prized.
The 2019 Kellerberg Smaragd is drawn from the marginally cooler, southeast-facing part of the terrace, close to the forest, and this is clear in the glass. The nose leads with ripe peach and passion fruit, but there's a flinty edge to it too, a touch of black pepper, and a sharp citric bite running underneath it all. The palate is oily, lush and rich, anchored by a linear, deeply saline finish. As is typical of Wachau at its very best, this wine beautifully balances freshness and ripeness.
Our fine wine feature
Ancient Vines: The Evolution of Australian Fine Wine
Written by - Hermione Egerton-Smith, Senior Fine Wine Buyer - Cult Wines
Interview with - Johann Henschke, Winemaker - Henschke
For many wine drinkers, Australian wine has long been associated with powerful Shiraz and broad commercial appeal. Yet beneath that image lies a more complex story, one shaped by some of the world’s oldest surviving vines and producers increasingly focused on terroir, balance and longevity. In this interview, Johann Henschke reflects on the evolution of Australian fine wine, from the significance of pre-phylloxera vineyards and vintage variation to the role of scientific rigour, sustainability and environmental stewardship in modern winemaking.
As collectors and consumers look beyond traditional fine wine regions, a more nuanced picture is emerging: one where heritage and innovation coexist, and where Australia’s future may be defined as much by restraint and individuality as by power.
Read Full Interview
Explore & travel
Georgia: The Ancient Homeland of Wine
Written by - Jessie Wu, Client Account Manager - Cult Wines
For roughly 8,000 years, wine has been woven into the fabric of daily life in Georgia. Long before orange wines became a modern phenomenon, Georgian winemakers were fermenting grapes in buried clay vessels known as qvevri, creating traditions that continue to shape the country’s identity today. Travelling through Georgia offers more than vineyard visits. From the atmospheric streets of Tbilisi and the vineyard-covered landscapes of Kakheti to traditional supras filled with food, wine and storytelling, every experience reveals a culture where hospitality and winemaking are inseparable.
Discover ancient techniques, indigenous grape varieties and a wine culture that feels refreshingly authentic. While the rest of the world embraces trends, Georgia quietly reminds us where many of wine’s oldest traditions began.
Read Full Article
