In the month of September the green stone connecting each bunch to the vine darkens and the grapes themselves "surrender", that is to say, they turn soft and sweet. There is no exact date for beginning the harvesting because it depends on the maturity of the grapes, which is calculated by the Jerez Viticultural and Eonological Station, the Rancho de la Merced Experimental Station and the Sherry Regulatory Board. Together, these institutions reach a decision based on daily analysis of grapes picked in different location within the region. The cutting of the bunches us usually carried out with pocket knives (sometimes with scissors) and the grapes are collected in plastic boxes with a capacity no greater than 40 pounds (18 kgs.) to ensure that the fruit is not damaged in its trip from the fields to the winepress, or "Lagar". Some wine cellars collect the grapes in baskets with a capacity of one "arroba" (25 pounds, 11,5 kgs.). It takes 62 "arrobas" to make one "carretyada" (cartload) of 1,550 pounds (714 Kgs) which is the amount of grapes necessary for the ll0 gallons (500 l) of must that go into one standard butt or "bota" of Sherry.
In order to boost the sugar content of the Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel varieties, the grapes are set in the sun during the day on round mats of esparto grass, which are covered up at night against the damp. This operation, called "soleo", or sunning, lasts 48 hours. The harvest, which usually begins at the end of the first week of September, takes around 20 days, unless there are delays due to rain, which always brings the operation to a halt because the grapes must arrive at the press completely dry and covered with a fine dust, or "pruina", which plays a key role in the fermentation process.

In the month of September the green stone connecting each bunch to the vine darkens and the grapes themselves "surrender", that is to say, they turn soft and sweet. There is no exact date for beginning the harvesting because it depends on the maturity of the grapes, which is calculated by the Jerez Viticultural and Eonological Station, the Rancho de la Merced Experimental Station and the Sherry Regulatory Board. Together, these institutions reach a decision based on daily analysis of grapes picked in different location within the region. The cutting of the bunches us usually carried out with pocket knives (sometimes with scissors) and the grapes are collected in plastic boxes with a capacity no greater than 40 pounds (18 kgs.) to ensure that the fruit is not damaged in its trip from the fields to the winepress, or "Lagar". Some wine cellars collect the grapes in baskets with a capacity of one "arroba" (25 pounds, 11,5 kgs.). It takes 62 "arrobas" to make one "carretyada" (cartload) of 1,550 pounds (714 Kgs) which is the amount of grapes necessary for the ll0 gallons (500 l) of must that go into one standard butt or "bota" of Sherry.
In order to boost the sugar content of the Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel varieties, the grapes are set in the sun during the day on round mats of esparto grass, which are covered up at night against the damp. This operation, called "soleo", or sunning, lasts 48 hours. The harvest, which usually begins at the end of the first week of September, takes around 20 days, unless there are delays due to rain, which always brings the operation to a halt because the grapes must arrive at the press completely dry and covered with a fine dust, or "pruina", which plays a key role in the fermentation process.

Obtaining the Must