Harvesting—or picking—is the first step in winemaking. Ultimate precision must be used, and harvesting by hand ensures that only the best-quality grapes make it to the next stage of the process. The harvest is all about the when. Pick too soon, and the physiology of the grapes will be all wrong, the acids too high and sugars too low. Missing the ideal window tips the scale the other way, the acids skyrocketing while sugars plummet.
On the vineyard, as in life, timing is everything.