Mechanical Harvesting at La Casa de las Vides

Despite the general view that everything in the wine industry should be romantic, instead of industrial, many wineries prefer to sell the consumer an idealistic and traditional image of the wine sector - or at least that’s my experience here in Spain. Grapes are hand-picked and should not be harvested by a machine. Mechanical harvesting is like a taboo, although this is not true for the producer. If he can, he will prefer to do the harvest mechanically. Nevertheless, the consumer thinks that only big industrial wineries use mechanical harvesting for industrial (cheap) wines.

We are not the only small winery in Spain that uses a machine to harvest the grapes, nor are we the first one to use a machine. However, we might be one of the first wineries to talk about it in public through our blog.

Mechanical harvesting has some advantages for a small company like La casa de las vides. I spoke with Ana Martin Onzain, one of the top wine makers in Spain who also helps in the production of La Casa de las Vides wines, regarding her impressions regarding mechanical harvesting.  For more photos click on slideshow of the casavides harvest 2008

1. What are the advantages in the use of mechanical harvesting in our winery?

First of all, the harvest machine is one of the best inventions in the wine industry as of recent; and the machine we used for the 2008 harvest is one of the latest models. It is important to know the conditions of each winery, and the type of wines the winery wants to make, in order to prepare the vineyards properly.

2. What is the main reason to use mechanical harvesting?

High temperatures and the lack of skilled workers! In general, the harvest takes place in August and September. The temperatures are high, sometimes up to 35 or 40 degrees Celsius in Valencia! Hence where do you get people who want to work under these conditions? And even if you have people, you must be sure they really understand how to cut the bunches. Mechanical harvesting is a solution to both problems at the same time.

3. And what are the conditions?

Another important reason to use a mechanical harvesting is the proximity of the vineyards to the winery. The grapes can head into the winery about 10 to 15 minutes from the vineyards. However, if the grapes come from further away, the risk of oxidation, especially for the white grapes, would be too high.

It is important to know that the winery does not make high-end wines - meaning wines that are valued at 50 euros or more. Additionally, the winery doesn’t have bush vines. This is a problem for many traditional regions in Spain, as many wine growers still have bush vines, and consequently, a harvest machine cannot help them.

And as La Casa de las Vides has planted many different grape varieties, flexibility is important. You want to harvest the grape at just the right moment. A big advantage for the winery is the flexibility to decide when to harvest. You don’t have to depend on a group of people to help you, as long as the vineyards are well prepared, one to two people can do the harvest.

4. What do you mean when you say, “preparing the vineyards”?

You can only use mechanical harvesting if you really prepare the vineyards in such a way that only the best bunches of grapes with no signs of rot are left on the vine. Also, all the leaves must be taken away in order to be sure that the machine will only “suck up” the grapes through a machine similar to a vacuum cleaner.

The conditions at La Casa de las Vides makes it easy to use the harvest machine. Within a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes, all the grapes are transported to the winery. And if we take in consideration the harsh weather conditions, the harvest machine must start early in the morning.

5. How does the machine actually work?

This machine in particular is one of the latest models. Nowadays, harvest machines are much more sophisticated than ten years ago. It doesn’t only “cut” the bunches through vibration, it also de-stems the grapes. About 4000 kilograms are brought to the winery in ten minutes, ready to go directly into the fermentation tanks. The grapes arrive at the winery in perfect condition, without their leaves. There is no need at all to do a second selection of the grapes.

Note: The grapes, especially the white grapes, don’t risk oxidation, because we use carbonic snow (Solidified carbon dioxide) to cool down the grapes. This process is expensive, but really necessary especially here in Valencia with the high temperatures.

Note: Casavides.com likes to thank Ana Martin Onzain to share her knowledge with us and our readers. For any question you might have about Spanish wines, vines in general please drop an email or leave a comment.