There pursuit of quality prevents the mechanization of the harvest, especially in some denominations, therefore it is preferred to resort to manual harvest.
THE grape harvesters, without the aid of mechanical tools, they cut the bunches of grapes, there collect in specific containers and carry them to the cellar, relying on exclusively to precision and to delicacy of theirs hands and the strength of their arms.
This is the oldest harvesting technique, used since the dawn but still very widespread in the selection cellars.
There manual harvest, despite present gods higher costs compared to the mechanical one, it allows one better selectivity. Practical example, it concerns the search for the noble rot or molds, since the mechanical grape harvester not would be able to select and discriminate the grapes which have reached a moldy stage.
Furthermore, the manual harvest preserves the integrity of the grape, reducing the risk of dangerous breakage of the berries, with consequent leakage of the must, e protecting the grapes from dangerous oxidative phenomena which would compromise the quality of the wine. All this depends on the capacity, precision and sensitivity of the grape harvester.
From an oenological point of view, the grapes must arrive whole at the cellar and the container with which they are transported must be able to preserve the physical and biochemical state that the grapes present at harvest. In this case, it is preferable to use small plastic and perforated boxes.