The vineyards of France and Italy are buzzing these days with the 2023 harvest underway. To honor and celebrate this yearly milestone, we’ve curated a sampler with everything you’ll need to channel the spirit of les vendanges and re-create the harvest mood right at home.
    We’ve included reds like Gramenon’s “Fistful of Grapes,” a biodynamic Côtes-du-Rhône whose name and juicy texture bring to mind ripe bunches, clipped by busy hands straight from the vine and devoured immediately. Bouvier’s classic Bourgogne rouge “En Montre Cul” comes from a steep parcel named for the fabled view a harvester might have of an upslope colleague’s derrière—surely Burgundy’s cheekiest lieu-dit. Other wines in the mix are simply meant to evoke the ambient perfume of fermentation at the winery, when the cheerful scent of grape must fills the air: Tintero’s irresistible and playful Moscato d’Asti captures this perfectly as does Moretto’s brisk and chalky Lambrusco. 
    We’d be remiss not to celebrate one of the most rewarding aspects of harvest: mealtime. Many pickers are loyal year in and year out to the same domaine, and especially to those vignerons who take particularly good care of them with tasty picnics, homemade feasts and free-flowing wine. By day, something low in alcohol like Cadette’s Melon de Bourgogne is appropriate. It’s the kind of easy blanc you’d sip alongside the late morning snack of baguette and cheese before attacking a few more rows of vines. Or Chevalier’s Rosé “Sans Prise de Tête,” a lighthearted and minimally sulfured rosé, easy to quaff all day without waking up groggy for an early-morning shift.
    In the evening, more robust bottles might decorate the communal table alongside a hearty meal prepared––if you’re lucky––by the harvest matriarch. Elena Lapini of Podere Campriano is the type to regale her harvesters with homemade pasta washed down with chilled bottles of her rustic Chianti. When celebrating the end of harvest, winemakers like to share older vintages to accompany something slow-cooked and special. Valpane’s Perlydia is named for Pietro’s notoriously brave late aunt who, lacking a harvest team during WWII, boldly enlisted the help of local soldiers.
    Whether you pair these wines with the matinal casse-croûte or serve them atop a table surrounded by raucous and hungry harvesters, we’ve got you covered. If only we could include a hard-earned, icy cold beer with every order to symbolize the rewarding pint every harvester chases after a long day in the field.