More from the harvest in Italy

I’ve just skipped across the Langhe valley floor from Verduno where the Alessandria family were finishing off their Pelaverga harvest (Berrys’ is taking delivery of the fine ’08 now).  The fruit’s looking good (I’ve a bunch on my desk as I type): rose tinted skins are firm but not overly, the fleshy pulp fresh and sweet; the pips brown and nutty; and the retrogusto/aftertaste showing a distinct white peppery character that comes out in the wine…Here are the two videos I took during the harvest earlier on today:

 
So the race is on; the tractor traffic’s backing up, as a storm is forecast for Saturday. The Alessandria family though nip ahead in their two year-old Lamborghini tractor complete with paddle gear shift and air-con…which reminds me of the story of how Lamborghini diversified into cars: Signor Lamborghini, minted on farm machinery (tractors), decided to reward himself with a Ferrari but Signor Ferrari (or was he a Count by then?) told him to look elsewhere, ever so politely of course, leading to Sig. Lamborghini building one himself.