Every year Maria asks a Tuscan grower the same question. He never gives her a straight answer.
No calendar, only taste
Growers wait for sugar and acid to balance inside the grape. The only way to know is to taste one, then wait, then taste again.
A moving date, every year
Coastal Tuscany usually picks first, sometimes in late August. Chianti Classico waits into September. Usually.
This year, the color came first
Growers are reporting the grapes turning red and gold well ahead of a typical year — before a single one is picked.
The dress she won't put away yet
Maria keeps her reddest dress in rotation the same way the vines decide when to change — by what's actually happening, not by a date on a page.
See the dress
Worn for exactly as long as it earns its place.