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 Growing grapes is a year-round job. In winter, the vines are vigorously pruned by hand to ensure that the correct number of fruiting canes will sprout the following year. Grapevines with too many canes are overtaxed and produce many small clusters with poor fruit.
In early spring, each vine is girdled; meaning an incision is made encircling the base of the vine. This technique rechannels the natural nutrients from the vines and roots to the fruit.
Bud break comes next, followed by a burst in foliage production. Cane shoots then emerge, sometimes growing more than an inch per day. Flower clusters come out with the shoots and blooming occurs when temperatures reach about 68 degrees Farenheit. As the flowers begin to shatter, tiny beads of green appear in their stead. These are the berries, or individual grapes, that will ripen to clusters.
Several factors go into determining ripeness and maturity for fresh grapes. Unlike many fresh fruits, grapes are harvested fully ripe. Once picked, grapes do not become sweeter, so timing is key.
Mechanical measurement of berry sugar content, assessment of bunch and berry size and uniformity, and berry color are all considered before harvest begins. Each variety has different harvesting standards. Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and California Department of Food and Agriculture are involved in setting and monitoring grape production standards.
As much care goes into the harvest of grapes as goes into cultivation. Grapes grown for the fresh market are especially vulnerable to rough handling, warm temperatures, excessive moisture, and decay causing organisms. Workers who remove the grapes from the vines with clippers are trained professionals, many with years of experience.
Grape bunches are packed into shipping containers either in the field or at a packing house. Each bunch is carefully inspected and trimmed before it is packed into the shipping container.
Once picked, the field heat is removed from the fruit in cold storage facilities. The shipping containers are then sent by refrigerated transport to markets throughout the world. They are maintained in a storage environment of about 33 degrees Farenheit in high humidity until they can be shipped.
To protect the berries during handling and shipping, the shipping containers, or lugs, are constructed to minimize jostling. Once loaded into transport vehicles, sophisticated instrumentation maintains air temperature at 33-35 degrees Farenheit. This temperature fluctuates only slightly during transport, even over the longest journey. All segments of grape harvest and distribution are designed to assure customers that grapes will arrive in just-picked condition. |