News and notices about the vineyard and winery
Video taken this morning. Although the moon was full, or almost full, we still needed the generators and the lights. A beautiful clear night with a very comfortable 51F – ideal weather. The day, however, was quite warm, reaching into the 80s. We stopped picking before 8:00 am. The grapes being picked are Pinot Noir.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.lafondwinery.com/movies-flash/night-harvest-2007/night-harvest-2007.swf" width="500" height="400"/]
There is a two page spread in todays Sunday edition of the Santa Barbara Newspress about night picking at the Lafond Winery and Vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills, unfortunately it requires registration.
The article written by Charlotte Boechler with photos by Rafael Maldonado begins…
It happens every year at around this time. A group of 8 or 10 shows up in the middle of the night at the Lafond Winery and Vineyards property off Santa Rosa Road in Buellton and pluck grapes right off the vines.
But wine maker Bruce McGuire is not concerned about it.
In fact he insists on it.
For several seasons now, his work crews have been harvesting the 40 acres of Pinot Noir grapes into the wee hours of the morning. They typically start at 3 or 4 a.m., a time when darkness falls across the land.
Which, you would think presents a challenge. Like, oh, you know, how can the workers even see…
A very nice article with some excellent photos by Rafael Maldonado. It is unfortunate that the Newspress makes it so inaccessible. I subscribe to the Newspress, but after filling out the form, I am advised to contact my delivery person.
Here, however, are two of our very own photos of night harvest. I should add — that pickers prefer early morning picking for the same reason that winemaker Bruce McGuire insists on it — it is cooler and the grapes come into the winery cooler.
All the grapes in the Lafond Vineyard are picked at night. Usually beginning at 3:00 or 4:00 am and continuing to 10:00 or 11:00 am. The pickers like it, the winemaker insists on it, and the grapes are received cool. Grapes picked mid-day are warm and more susceptible to damage.
The equipment rigged up by David is very simple, a small trailer, behind the picking boxes, with high lights that extend over several rows (the photo shows the arms folded), a gas compressor and strong lights. The compressor is noisy and the pickers are happy when there is enough light to turn it off — it drowns out the music.
Here a worker readying the equipment for the next day.
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