It is a beautiful, cool night in Monterey, CA.  I am in a Pinot Noir vineyard at Estancia Winery waiting my turn to board a new $650,000 grape harvester.  Looking at all the stars I think how fortunate I am to be here.

Being in the wine business for 35 years, there have been many special experiences all around the world that I cherish. We were in California a couple of weeks ago, specifically to experience the grape harvest. Harvest was late this year—at the time of our visit, many (if not most) wineries hadn’t even started. But Estancia was ready for us, and we took advantage of the opportunity.

And this was a new one - riding on this amazing new harvester! From the top, I watched as this machine gently removed all the grapes off the vines, leaving the unripe fruit behind.  It then separated the leaves and stems, shooting them to the ground and storing just the grapes. 

The harvest continued through the night, ending early morning with the grapes going straight to the tanks.  With this process, no heat affects the fruit, which leaves the grapes in perfect condition for the perfect wine. Maybe not as romantic as the images of a hand-picked harvest, but certainly effective.

Another special and unique experience to add to my years of service in this business!

--Steve Raszkin, Wine Consultant, Fernandina Beach