My thought has continued to be How can a carpenter build without their tools? Then its wonders to the vineyard where we keep another mans vineyard harvesting with their tools but never lending us the tools to harvest your own....... The harvesting of wine grapes (Vintage) is one of the most crucial steps in the process of winemaking. #Maturity The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to produce. #Climate& #Contamination The weather can also shape the timetable of harvesting with the threat of heat, rain, hail, and frost which can damage the grapes and bring about various vine diseases. #Harvesters In addition to determining the time of the harvest, winemakers and vineyard owners must also determine whether to utilize hand pickers or mechanical harvesters. The harvest season typically falls between August & October in the Northern Hemisphere and February & April in the Southern Hemisphere. With various climate conditions, grape varieties, and wine styles the harvesting of grapes could happen in every month of the calendar year somewhere in the world. In the New World it is often referred to as the crush. #Interesting The question of using mechanical harvesting versus traditional hand picking is a source of contention in the wine industry. Mechanical harvesting of grapes has been one of the major changes in many vineyards in the last third of a century. First introduced commercially in the 1960s, it has been adopted in different wine regions for various economic, labor and winemaking reasons. In Australia, the reduced work force in the wine industry has made the use of mechanized labor almost a necessity. A mechanical vine harvester works by beating the vine with rubber sticks to get the vine to drop its fruit onto a conveyor belt that brings the fruit to a holding bin. As technology improves mechanical harvesters have become more sophisticated in distinguishing grape clusters from mud, leaves and other particles. Despite the improvement many harvesters still have difficulties in distinguishing between ripe, healthy grapes and unripe or rotted bunches which must then be sorted out at the winemaking facility. Another disadvantage is the potential of damaging the grape skins which can cause maceration and coloring of the juice that is undesirable in the production of white and sparkling wine. The broken skins also bring the risk of oxidation and a loss of some of the aromatic qualities in the wine #Eagles Are we Mechanically harvesting grapes before they are ready by beating them to get the fruit; Which has caused major changes in many vineyards in the last third of a century having difficulty distinguishing between what are ripe, healthy grapes?? Sometimes including rotten and unripe grapes in the harvest facilities? Damaging the fine skins causing maceration and undesirables? Bringing risk of oxidation and loss of aromatic qualities? #Taint Oxidation is defined as the interaction between oxygen molecules and all the different substances they may contact, from metal to living tissue. The metal itself is not weakened by oxidation, but the surface develops a patina after years of exposure to air and water. #Perception A hydrocarbon is any chemical compound that contains only hydrogen and carbon. Some hydrocarbons may also contain traces of impurities, as is the case with some aromatic hydrocarbons. In these cases, the impurities caused distinctive scents, leading chemists to term these compounds “aromatic.” In fact, not all smell; the scent was thought to be linked to the benzene ring, but it is actually caused by impurities. The name as stuck, however, as often happens in science even after new information on a topic has emerged, to minimize confusion. #JESUS!!!
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 10:58:49 +0000
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