Here we are, this year’s harvest rapidly approaching. Hopefully, I don’t sound too old if I say this time comes around faster every year! This is my fifth Rathfinny harvest and the third that I will be sampling our grapes in the lab, monitoring ripeness and enabling us to pick bunches at the opportune moment. But to pick grapes, we need to employ pickers, a role I’ve also taken on.
Harvest is a great time to be a part of agriculture in Sussex. For those who spend most of their time in urban environments, it’s a chance to give yourself time to further appreciate seasonal change. The intricate nature of grape harvesting means we need plenty of hands, contradictory to most other agriculture in the UK, in which bringing in the crop is heavily mechanised.
It has been great talking to locals interested in harvesting. We normally have applicants from all walks of life, but perhaps more this year, as many found themselves furloughed, or simply exploring a career change. My personal highlight was receiving a job application from my own father, who I had convinced to give picking grapes a go after his recent retirement. How the tables have turned! Perhaps now I can be the boss? I doubt it.
For the Vineyard team, this is a particularly intense and rewarding time as we see the culmination of our work this year. Many of us have been preparing this crop since pruning last December, so for all the team, the pressure is on until we hand over the fruit to the Winery. Everyone will be working two-fold. There will be aching muscles and tired eyes. The fruit is, however, looking fantastic this year, so hopefully that will keep us all going.
