From grape to thirst-quencher: the first harvest from the Spanish vineyard

The scent of ripe grapes carries a hint of impatience — as if they’ve been whispering for weeks, “come, pick me.” In the late summer on the Costa Blanca, the moment arrives. The harvest begins in the Spanish vineyard. It’s the time when the sun still blazes by day, but the evenings soften, and the vineyard turns into a hive of pickers, crates, and humming tractors.

Earlier this year, I wrote about the wine regions and grape varieties of the Costa Blanca — but now it’s time to see how it all begins: with the harvest itself.

Harvest in the morning cool

In most bodegas, the harvest starts early in the morning, before the sun climbs too high. Not just because it’s more pleasant to work in the cool, but because the grapes need to be picked at low temperatures. Heat can trigger fermentation too early — something no winemaker wants. It’s a ritual: pruning shears clicking, hands moving swiftly from bunch to crate, and the scent of fresh juice mixing with the dust of the dry earth.

The first press

In the bodega itself, it’s all hands on deck. Crates are emptied, grapes inspected — and then comes the moment of truth: the first press. It’s a blend of technique and tradition. Some winemakers still use wooden presses for small batches, just to taste and feel those first litres of juice. Others work with modern equipment, but even there, the same quiet respect prevails: this is the birth of the new wine.

From moscatel to monastrell

On the Costa Blanca, you’ll come across many different grape varieties. Moscatel, known for its sweet aromas and often used in dessert wines. Monastrell, dark and bold — the pride of the Alicante region. And then there are the native varieties, barely known outside Spain, yet cultivated here for generations. Each grape has its own rhythm, and you’ll see that reflected in the schedule: white grapes are usually harvested earlier than red.

A celebration of labour

Harvesting in the Spanish vineyard is hard work — but it also has something festive about it. After the picking, people often sit down to eat together — bread, olives, cheese, maybe a slice of tortilla — and, of course, a glass of last year’s wine. There’s laughter, stories are passed from hand to hand, and everyone senses that this is more than just work. It’s the final note in a year of care and attention for the vines.

The promise in the glass

When you pour a glass of wine, you rarely think of the hands that picked the grapes, or the feet that walked the vineyard in the early morning. But in the late summer on the Costa Blanca, you know: every sip begins here, between the rows of vines, with the scent of earth, sun and grape juice. And that’s what makes the first harvest perhaps the most beautiful of all.