Man vs. machine

By The weekly winer 12 June 2008 02:20:00

As technology advances more and more everyday, it won't be long before our world is overrun by robots.  This is ever more apparent in places like the automobile manufacturing plants where almost everything is assembled through heavy machinery and robotic arms.  This technological advance, more evident everyday, has found its way into the world of wine.  Whether it's the multi-million dollar facilities or complex growing techniques, the competition to produce the highest quality wines has incresed tremendously.  Many wineries today are opening their minds, welcoming new ideas any way they can get it.  One example is that more wine growers across the U.S. are looking into machine harvesting. 

These new and improved harvesting machines are high tech and can easily be programmed to accommodate most wine maker's preferences.  They can easily be adjusted and pick grapes just as clean as any hand, not to mention with a lot less time.  It is also cheaper per acre to use machine harvesting as well.  Although a large portion of Sonoma grapes are harvested by machine, less than 10% are used in the Napa Valley.  Some winemakers argue that their expensive wines require careful treatment, sticking with the tradition of hand picking. 

For some vineyards, the result of dwindling labor has been a main reason for using machinery, especially for ever increasing corporate vineyards and winery entities.  But for others, skepticism takes over raising the argument that there's no opportunity to do selective harvesting, or instruct the machine to leave the second crop, or skip bunches with rot and mold. 

 So whether its machine harvesting or the good old traditional hand picking, the on-going battle between man and machine has undoubtedly made its way into the wonderful world of wine.

           

Add your comment