September: It’s harvesting time...But the real show is in the Cinque Terre!

Monorail for grape harvest (photo: cuboimages)

This year will be an exceptional five star vintage for wine in Italy. This it is due to the high temperatures in the summer and the lack of rain in these last critical months which considerably increased the natural sugar content in the grapes. By mid-August in some areas of the country the grapes have already been picked. And in other areas the grapes have been harvested a good two weeks ahead of the usual schedule.

In the Cinque Terre Park, fall is the moment in which one really appreciates and understands the territory, especially by watching all the hard work that goes into grape harvesting. Workers pick grapes on their knees in the more traditional vineyards and carry baskets on their shoulders on the terraces up above the hills.

In the last thirty years modern technology has arrived even in this ancient territory. The Swiss created an easier way to carry the grapes, on a special monorail, which departs from the villages and goes uphill through the vineyards, and even up to a car road. There tractors then easily reach the local wine cooperative of the Park in the small town called Groppo. Here September is a real joy for photographers, painters and wine lovers!
- Posted by Angelica