Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/62409
GRAPE GRO WING For machine-harvested fruit arriving at the winery in a macro-bin, the grapes are dropped into a Bucher Vaslin hopper, which places them on a 9-meter shaker table that separates debris from the grapes. A 4.5-meter conveyor belt lifts the stream of grapes to the destemmer, which removes the remaining stems and petioles. A vibrating table carries the grapes to a rope conveyor made up of 99 parallel cords that align them for final inspection. The optical sorter photographs the ber- ries and extraneous debris as they move toward ejection jets located at the end of the conveyor. The jets fire as seeds, jacks, raisins and imperfect berries clear the end of the conveyor, hurling them toward the waste bin. Momentum from the rope conveyor carries the unblemished grapes past the threshold onto a bin set aside for collecting the harvest. Coming of age "The mechanical harvester and optical sorter combined for better berry selec- tion, especially in a year when we are facing Botrytis," Rogstad said. "In addi- tion, the machines processed the grapes more quickly." And as many winemakers and vineyard managers learned during Grapes are guided along the Selectiv' Process sorting table. the 2011 harvest, speed and accuracy are vital for a vintage characterized by so much uncertainty. With an estimated 85% of winegrape growers from large-scale farms picking fruit with mechanical harvesters, it may be time for premium growers to consider harvesting and sorting by machine. More than half of all growers farming fewer than 500 acres—and 92% of vineyards smaller than 49 acres—harvest their grapes by hand. During the past three years, winemak- ers and vineyard managers from Beaulieu Vineyard, Clos Pegase, Cuvaison, Estan- cia, Gundlach Bundschu, Hahn, Paraiso Get the best out of your grapes. The Europress exclusively by Euro-Machines and other wineries have led by example. "Manufacturers continue to refine their designs to suit the needs of higher end wineries," said James Wolpert, viticultural extension specialist from the University of California, Davis. "Vineyard managers and winemakers producing the most expensive bottles of wine should stay tuned, because even if they prefer hand-picked and sorted fruit, one day they may not find the labor to harvest and sort it." Thomas Ulrich wrote a story about measur- ing transpiration rates with wireless sensors for the July 2011 issue of Wines & Vines. He teaches journalism at San Jose State University. Euro-Machines offers high-quality equipment based on your vision to bring out the best of every vine, with our proven history in the careful handling of grapes and together our love of good wine. Europress-Cool with cooling jacket Euroselect berry selector Destemmer crushers Sorting equipment Conveyor belts Vibrating tables Custom-made tanks Pumps Europress 6-320 hl Braud grape harvesters and much more West: Fairfield, CA 94534 - Phone 707-864-5800 East: Culpeper, VA 22701 - Phone 540-825-5700 info@euromachinesusa.com www.euromachinesusa.com Euro-Machines, Inc. A subsidiary of Scharfenberger Company Germany QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #C1 90 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012