The Work Involved in Picking or Harvesting Grapes for Wine

Timing

• Supervisors involved in the process take samples from the vines during the time that they appear to be completing the ripening process. The goal is to pick grapes with the perfect sugar content for the variety. They crush the grapes and then measure the sugar level from the juice. The exact amount of sugar that a winemaker is seeking in his grapes will depend on the variety of grape and type of wine he intends to make.

Method

• Depending on the size of the winery and the style in which the vines grow, the harvest may require workers to pick the grapes by hand, or they may be able to do it using a machine. Winery policy and the preference of the winemaker also determine the type of harvesting. In Australia, for instance, machines harvest approximately 90 percent or more of the grapes for wine. As with most elements of the harvest, the type of grape and intended wine type also impact the chosen harvest method.

Quality

• The assurance of quality is one reason that high-end wineries often opt for a hand-picked harvest. Workers that harvest grapes need to be meticulous and have a keen eye for detail. First, they must be careful to only pick grapes. They must avoid leaves, branches, stems and insects. Secondly, they are trained to notice signs of lower quality or sick or bruised grapes and do not pick those. This ensures that everything that makes it to the wine-making process is of the highest quality.

The Work

• Harvesting grapes by hand is hot and heavy work. Workers typically pick baskets full of grapes and then take them to a staging area where they are taken to the winery for processing. The workday starts very early in the day, typically as soon as there's enough light to work. Picking stops once the temperature begins to rise, because the higher temperatures can affect the quality of the grapes as workers pick them.