Hand-Picking
Hand-picking is the traditional method of harvesting grapes. It is a labour-intensive process, but it allows for greater selectivity in the vineyard. Pickers can choose only the ripe and healthy bunches, leaving any damaged or unripe fruit behind. This can lead to higher quality wines, as only the best grapes are used.
Benefits of Hand-Picking:
- Greater selectivity: Pickers can choose only the ripe and healthy bunches.
- Less damage to the grapes: Hand-picking is a gentler process than mechanical harvesting, which can damage the grapes.
- Better for certain grape varieties: Some grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir, are more delicate and benefit from hand-picking.
Limitations of Hand-Picking:
- More labour-intensive: Hand-picking is a more labour-intensive process than mechanical harvesting.
- More expensive: Hand-picking is more costly than mechanical harvesting.
- Slower: Hand-picking is a slower process than mechanical harvesting.
Mechanical Harvesting
Mechanical harvesting is a more modern method of harvesting grapes. It is a faster and more efficient process than hand-picking. However, it can be less selective, as the machine harvests all of the grapes on the vine, regardless of their ripeness or quality.
Benefits of Mechanical Harvesting:
- Faster: Mechanical harvesting is a quicker process than hand-picking.
- More efficient: Mechanical harvesting is more efficient than hand-picking.
- Less expensive: Mechanical harvesting is less costly than hand-picking.
Limitations of Mechanical Harvesting:
- Less selective: The machine harvests all of the grapes on the vine, regardless of their ripeness or quality.
- Can damage the grapes: Mechanical harvesting can damage the grapes.
- Not suitable for all grape varieties: Some are too delicate, like our Pecorino, for mechanical harvesting.
De Iuliis Wines: Our Approach
At De Iuliis Wines, we use both hand-picking and mechanical harvesting, depending on the specific needs of each vintage. For our premium wines, we typically hand-pick the grapes. This allows us to select only the best fruit and ensure that the wines are of the highest quality. For our more commercial wines, we may use mechanical harvesting. This allows us to produce these wines at a more affordable price.
Ultimately, the decision to hand-pick or mechanically harvest grapes is complex. There is no right or wrong answer, and the best choice depends on several factors. For example, in 2021, COVID restrictions shut down international travel, so our usual labour intake (read: backpackers) needing their farming visa was limited. Couple that with rain events, every Hunter Valley winery needed their grapes picked in smaller windows and with a smaller labour force. Therefore, mechanical harvesting was necessary throughout most of our vineyards.
At De Iuliis Wines, we carefully consider all these factors before deciding. Our goal is to produce the best possible wines, and we believe that using both hand-picking and mechanical harvesting allows us to achieve this goal.
Handpicked grapes Mechanically Harvest Grapes
