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The grape harvest is already under way in Istria. The white grapes, primarily Malvasia, but also Muskats, Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Blancs are the first to be picked. The red grapes, mainly Terans, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons are picked a week or two later.
Traditionally, large families and friends would have sufficed, but latterly other local and migrant workers have also played their part. However, as the better wineries have been increasing their vineyards, as well as contracting other vineyards to supply grapes, in order to meet the rising demand for their wines, the question of machine picking has arisen. Long popular in France and Italy, there was resistance to this, as the earlier machines had a tendency to damage the vines. The newer ones, mostly from Italy and France, seem to have overcome this problem. There is still an issue over some of the grapes themselves rupturing and the juice starting to ferment before reaching the winery in the current warm weather if there is a delay of three to four hours before it gets there, though.
Otherwise, there are distinct advantages in machine picking. When the crop is judged to be optimal for picking, it is good to do so as soon as possible. A machine will complete a single vineyard in a day and have the crop in the winery, ready for processing whereas a team of experienced pickers could take a week and less experienced ones longer, by which time the condition of the grapes may have changed. There is also the issue of enough pickers being available and them turning up when needed. In France, they can just phone up a gang master and tell him how many pickers they need and when, but here it is less organised. Hand picking all their various vineyards could take several weeks.
Grape picking machines are of two types: tractor drawn and self propelled. The self propelled ones straddle the vines with the driver in a cabin up above..The mechanism can also vary between different manuacturers. Some machines can also be used for vine maintenance.
We looked at one belonging to the Ravalico winery at Nova Vas. Having invested in one and in view of the speed that it could harvest their own grapes, they now hire it out to other growers once they have picked their own. Another grower who bought a second hand one in France recently for Eur 40,000 and will also be hiring it out, reckons to recover his money in five years.
The tractor drawn ones are around half the price of the price of the self propelled ones although they otherwise function similarly.
Here is the interior of one of the French Pellenc ones. The bars are flexible and brush against the vines, causing the bunches of grapes to detach from the vines and drop to the floor, where a continuous belt catches them and brings them to the bins above the machine.
The bins are emptied into trailers at the end of the rows.
Istrian wine can be readily found in good restaurants throughout Croatia and, increasingly, abroad.
