Mechanical Harvesting of Wine Grapes

Mechanization of the California wine grape harvest has slowed, with no rapid increase expected for the immediate future. However, a lot depends on solving current problems of wine quality using mechanically harvested grapes and machine damage to vines as well as generally low grape prices and the labor situation. The study points out that mechanical harvesting is only economical on larger acreages. For example, at an 8-ton-per-acre yield in 1972, a farm would have to be 220 acres in size in order for mechanical harvesting costs to break even with those of hand harvesting. On the other hand, if farmworker wages went up by a fourth or more over other costs, machine harvesting could increase the competitive edge. In general, owners of mechanical harvesters viewed their machines favorably, most often noting that they liked the increased control over their operations and the relative freedom from labor problems. Operational problems cited were vine and stake damage and juicing of the grapes