Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/123973
Night harvesting is beneficial to grapes, but can be hazardous to workers if safety precautions are neglected. Photo: Gloria Ferrer Best practices for quality and safety in the vineyards BY DEBORAH AT A GLANCE + Prepare sites for night work with a preliminary pass during daylight hours. + Sample fruit as close as possible to picking time. + Exceed Cal/OSHA's minimum requirements for lighting. + Use Class 2 garments or reflective tape to increase worker visibility. + Plan vineyard architecture to optimize new or replanted sites for night work. 58 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | May - June 2013 PARKER WONG eyond leaps in technology that have better, faster and smarter machines at work in the vineyards, ensuring worker safety continues to be a top priority during night harvesting. Grapegrowers have long known that when the right conditions are met, the practice is safer for workers, it keeps fruit cold and firm, which saves energy and requires less intervention at the winery, and both workflow and resources can be optimized during harvest. While these benefits have always existed, vineyard management companies and winemakers are becoming more conscious of their impact on safety, wine quality and sustainability. BEST-CASE SCENARIOS Sonoma County's sparkling wine producers have championed the practice of night harvesting. Paul Ahvenainen, senior winemaker at Korbel Champagne Cellars, which farms 1,200 acres in Sonoma County and an additional 600 acres in Clarksburg, night harvests two-thirds of his crop by machine. "The single nicest tank of pinot noir from 2012 was w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m