Vendange

Its the Vandange season (grape picking season)
People have been talking grapes and good year or bad year for months.
This year will be an OK year because there wasn't enough sun to
really mature the grapes.
There are two different types of wine makers. One that do it for the
money and those who are passionate about it.

Those who do it for the money wont clip off extra grapes or hand pick .
They will rent these machines that shake the branches and all the grapes fall off.
Those who do it as a passion will clip off some of the grapes so all the nutrients will go to the remaining grapes during the last month of ripening.
They will also have their grapes hand picked.
These will be the more expensive bottles.
The grapes here are mainly Merlot.

A machine that shakes the grapes
Hand picking is tiring work, you are bent over all day long


After they are hand picked they are thrown on the back of a truck



Most of the pickers are from Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania)
that come here to make some fast money.
They pay $15.00 an hour so they caravan and camp out here during the Vandange.

The grapes are then put through a conveyor belt and all the stems are taken off

After the stems and leaves are removed they are put in a barrel
and squished, and the wine begins :)

Next time you have a glass of wine you will know how it began .