Celebrating the harvest

All wine-producing regions mark both the start and finish of their grape harvest with festivities. At the beginning to invoke blessings for a good crop, and at the end, as thanksgiving for the grapes just harvested.
 
In Europe and North America, grapes are harvested in autumn, between September and October. In the southern hemisphere, the weather pattern is inverted: autumn is February to April, which is when countries such as Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa harvest their grapes and make wine.
 
Right now, all countries in the southern hemisphere (and India and Thailand) are midway through their grape harvests, having already celebrated the start of their harvests with festivals and feasts. While you may have missed the festivals this year, get a headstart with the 2019 wine calendar.
 
India: The season kicked off with the Sulafest 2018 on February 3 and 4 at the company’s winery near Nashik — an extravaganza of music and wine attended by nearly 10,000 people. Next up was the Indian Grape Harvest festival on February 9 and March 11 at 14 wineries around Nashik, which was organised by the Wine Association of Nashik and supported by Maharashtra Tourism.
 
Chile: Called Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (the harvest festival), a series of events are being held between March and mid-April in each key wine-producing region  of the country — Aconcagua, Casablanca, Maipo Valley, Colchagua Province, Curicó Valley and Maule Valley. These events host a mix of activities around food, art shows, music, cultural events and, of course, wine tastings. This is a popular festival for both locals and international tourists.
 
Argentina: Across the Andes mountains is the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (the national grape harvest festival), held mainly in Mendoza. Promoted by the state, all 18 wine-producing “departments” of the country are represented. It usually begins in end-February with the “blessing of the fruit” and culminates by the first week of March with parades, beauty contests, dance performances and a cultural extravaganza.

The Wolftrap red wine has a good aroma of berries and spice (pepper) with a soft, supple palate

South Africa: Again, every key wine-producing region holds harvest festivals between January and April, centered around Cape Town, with cities such as Stellenbosch, Robertson, Paarl and Constantia also on the map. These are usually organised by individual wineries or clusters of wineries, and generally do not involve governmental agencies. Great experiences of food, music, local culture and, of course, boatloads of wine!
 
Australia: Down Under, the harvest festivals are organised by each state. The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival was held from March 16 to 25 — a well-orchestrated series of some 300 events across Victoria state. The Queensland Apple and Grape Harvest Festival was held between February 23 and March 4, with parades, music, art, dances, fireworks. And, of course, there are countless wine-related dinners and tastings. There are similar events in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
 
New Zealand: Autumn is a time for all sorts of harvests in New Zealand: kiwi fruit, Auckland tomatoes, avocadoes, the uniquely local feijoa fruit and, of course, grapes. Sample all these and more at the Wairapara Harvest Festival or the Malrborough Wine and Food Festival — generally held in February.
 
Wines I’ve been drinking
 
South Africa produces some great-value wines. I recently came across The Wolftrap red wine (Rs 1,675, 87 points on Wine Spectator), a blend of Syrah (67 per cent), Mourvèdre (31 per cent), and Viognier (yes, 2 per cent of this white wine is added to provide “perfume”). It has a good aroma of berries and spice (pepper) and a soft, supple palate with some oak notes. Very drinkable, either on its own or with food — worth a try. Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant