This is what a mechanical harvester leaves behind once it passes over a row of vines. The grapes are shaken off of their stems by vibrating rods. They fall onto conveyors that lift them into two large bins on either side of the harvester. When those bins are full, the harvester empties them into a large trailer that's parked outside the vine parcel. Once the trailer is full or the parcel is completely harvested, the grapes are taken to the winery and transferred to the pressing machine.
I'm no expert, but I've seen the harvesters in action and I did a little reading about how they work. There are videos on the internet that show and explain the process. A lot of juice is released when the grapes come off the stems, but it's collected along with the grapes and goes on to the winery.
Hand picking is more labor intensive, obviously. Most of the grapes remain whole until the juice is extracted in the press at the winery. The hand method supposedly helps in making a better wine. It's also a nifty marketing tool. There are whole wine categories, such as Champagne, that don't allow mechanical harvesting at all.
Tasha and I ran into the woman who owns many of the vineyard parcels around us yesterday afternoon. She was out testing the grapes for ripeness. She told me that the chardonnay just north of our house is just about ready, so we'll be hearing the familiar hum of the harvester out there soon.
It’s a fascinating process and business.
ReplyDeleteI’m wondering how this summer’s weather will affect the quality or quantity of the wine.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
Are the grape picking machines noisy? Evelyn
ReplyDeleteThe cycle of wine life :)
ReplyDeleteHave you often "bumped" into the owner over the years? Obviously, from your photo, the harvester seems to be very efficient.
ReplyDeletemitch, and tasty, too!
ReplyDeletebettyann, I'm sure it will, but how? That remains to be seen.
evelyn, up close they are very noisy. Here in the house we just hear a hum, unless they're right outside the back gate.
judy, ahh...
mary, we see her at a distance more often than bumping into her. But it happens from time to time. It's nice to say "Hi" and catch up a little bit.
I suppose I am naif to consider the proper way to pick grapes/tea leaves etc. is by hand.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've been taught in my wine quals it's more a function of what style of wine is being made rather than if one method is objectively 'better' than the other. Like you say hand harvest is an AOC requirement for many areas, and of course can be required if the vineyard is on a steep slope or otherwise difficult to access, or if the vines are pruned in a style that precludes it. From what I can gather in terms of quality there's not a huge difference overall;
ReplyDeletenotably if the winemaker can afford the expensive equipment for the harvest and that allows secondary sorting of grapes once picked to make more premium wines then it's more than adequate. Of course much of the mechanically harvested grapes may be destined for bulk production so quality is a lesser issue - so my point is more that you can make a premium wine that way, you just need the further investment to be able to do so. Lastly of course producers can also use a 'hand harvest' as further promotion for their product, and may choose to do it just for that reason!