During August the Chardonnay grapes were night-harvested by hand in the vineyard in Kibbutz Tzuba. Manual harvesting usually takes place during the day, but this unique harvest method was chosen to preserve the quality of the grapes.
The grape clusters were picked by lamplight and placed in small crates in order to maintain their wholeness. The decision was taken to harvest them at night, when temperatures in the Jerusalem Hills are low, in order to ensure that the grapes are delivered to the winery while still cool and undamaged.
When the crates arrived at the winery in the early morning hours, the clusters were crushed whole, as is customary in France, in order to prevent exposure of the juice to the air and oxidation.
Chief winemaker Sasson Ben Aharon says, “Chardonnay is a variety that constitutes the basis of exceptional quality wines, but the grapes are particularly delicate and need to be treated with great care. Our experience has taught us that manual harvests in general, and especially those implemented when temperatures are at their coolest, result in high levels of the fruits’ qualities in the final product – the wine. Both the winegrowers and the harvesters were enthused by the experience and we are certain that the final product will be a particularly impressive and high quality wine”.