Driving back down from the inland through the Karoo toward the Cape, there is a moment when the landscape shifts and the vineyards begin to open up in front of you. As soon as we hit De Doorns, the feeling was unmistakable, harvest time is here. The air itself seems to carry a different weight, a mixture of anticipation and quiet urgency. Even from the road, the bunches hanged heavy, plump, and glistening in the sun, promising a season that, so far, looks to be shaping up into a good one.
For most people, January is still a time of recovery. The festive season lingers in our bodies, with many of us still shaking off the cobwebs and trying to digest that extra helping of Christmas ham. But for winemakers, especially those producing sparkling wine, the new year begins with a sprint. While others are easing into resolutions, our colleagues in the sparkling wine cellars are already hard at work. The cellars are being scrubbed down, equipment polished, and tanks sterilized, all in preparation for the early harvest Chardonnay/ Pinot Noir that forms the base wine for sparkling production.
If you happen to drive over the mountains near the Breedekloof Valley, you’ll likely see the first loads of grapes already arriving at wineries such as Graham Beck. Their teams are among the earliest to start, taking in fruit while the rest of us are still finalizing our plans. For them, the race has already begun. (I am not forgetting The Orange river guys that have already started in December, yes that is a thing and the paperwork is a nightmare)
For the majority of winemakers, however, there is a small window of grace, perhaps two weeks, before the real chaos sets in. This time is precious, because no matter how diligently you serviced and cleaned your equipment after last year’s harvest, something always seems to go wrong when the first grapes arrive. Pumps seize, presses bags rip, and cooling systems mysteriously decide to stop working. It’s almost a rite of passage. My old cellar master had a saying that has stuck with me: “Run a test batch of grapes the Thursday before you plan to start. That way, you’ve got the weekend to fix everything that breaks.” It was advice born of experience, and it remains as relevant today as ever.
Harvest preparation is not confined to the cellar. At home, the rhythm of the season begins to seep into daily life. The tinfoil trays come out, and the freezer starts filling with prepped meals. During harvest, there is hardly time for elaborate cooking, and even if you have family at home, the demands of the cellar often leave little energy for household responsibilities. Pre-prepared meals become a lifeline. My personal go-to dishes are lasagna and my grandmother’s chicken pie, comfort food that sustains you through long nights and early mornings.
Coffee becomes the fuel of the day, keeping winemakers alert during endless hours of monitoring fermentations, cleaning equipment, and hauling grapes. Beer, on the other hand, is the reward at the end of a shift, a small ritual that marks the transition from duty to rest. These simple routines form the backbone of harvest life, grounding us in the midst of chaos. It takes a lot of beer to make good wine.
But beyond the logistics, harvest is an emotional journey. It is a season of sleepless nights, frustration, and constant problem-solving. Yet it is also a time of immense satisfaction. Few professions allow you to hold in your hands something you have created from start to finish, and even fewer give you the privilege of sharing that creation with others.
As the grapes begin to roll in, winemakers across the Cape and beyond will be tested. They will juggle the unpredictability of nature with the precision of science, balancing tradition with innovation. They will face breakdowns, exhaustion, and the occasional panic when a fermentation doesn’t behave as expected or the grapes you though were ready for harvest come in 2 balling lower for some reason. Yet they will also experience moments of pure joy, perfectly harvested grapes, the first taste of juice that hints at the wine to come, flawless fermentations and the camaraderie of a team working toward a shared goal.
Harvest is not just about making wine, it is about resilience, patience, and passion. It is about the willingness to embrace uncertainty and to trust that, despite the challenges, the season will yield something worth celebrating.
So, as the vineyards swell with fruit and the cellars hum with activity, I want to extend a heartfelt good luck to all the winemakers out there. May this harvest be fruitful, may your equipment hold steady, and may your coffee supply never run dry.
Harvest is hard, but it is also extraordinary. Here’s to the season ahead, may it be generous, may it be kind, and may it remind us all why we fell in love with winemaking in the first place.