Barossa Valley Grape Harvest Pics

[allenr]

Finally finished my 2009 grape harvest (Grenache) in the Barossa Valley, South Australia on Friday.

I've been busy with other urgent work and haven't yet cleaned all the equipment and put it away.

Prior to Easter my son and daughter came out while I was picking Merlot and took some pics for a school project. As I never get the chance to take photos I thought I'd share some of theirs with you.

 

[RobS]

Cool pics Allen, thanks. I've seen these machines around our area and often wondered how they work. Can you describe it? Are these wine grapes?

 

[allenr]

Cool pics Allen, thanks. I've seen these machines around our area and often wondered how they work. Can you describe it? Are these wine grapes?

Yes. they're wine grapes, that's all I grow.

The hydraulic motor driven picking head has 4 eccentrics pivoting the 4 beater posts a few degrees.
The nylon bow rods (third pic) beat the vines at about 460 strokes per minute, moving about 3 - 4" at the ends.

The berries and many entire bunches fall onto about 18 spring return catcher plates each side which are angled and pivot open around vine trunks and posts.
The angle of the catchers and the pivoting around vines causes the grapes to slide off to each side onto conveyor belts (also hydraulic motors driven).
At the end of the No. 2 belts the grapes and leaves pass under suction fans which suck out most leaves.
From there the grapes are conveyed to the top and across to a tote bin.

This 36 year old machine has an International 74 Hydro driving the rear wheels via a oil immersed chain drive down each side, so it doesn't raise or level like modern machines.
There is a 3 stage hydraulic pump driven from the 540 pto shaft to power the picking head conveyors and fans.
The No 1 (catcher conveyors) raise/lower and discharge conveyor raise/lower and slew are controlled by a triple remote valve where the normal IH remote valve was mounted and is supplied by the standard 10 GPM hydraulic pump fitted to all IH 74 series tractors of the era.

 

[RobS]

Very interesting Allen, thanks for the details.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Thanks for the pics. Your harvester looks very well taken care of.

 

[Bird]

What winery do the grapes go to? I've heard that Yellowtail wines from Australia are now the number one imported wines in the USA.

 

[allenr]

What winery do the grapes go to? I've heard that Yellowtail wines from Australia are now the number one imported wines in the USA.

My grapes are sold to Barossa Valley Estates, Peter Lehmann Wines and R Wines.

Yes, Yellowtail is produced by Casella who are based in the MIA (Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area) of New South Wales.

Sadly, I heard today an unverified report that the No's 1 & 2 selling wines in Australia (not just imported, domestic too) are now New Zealand wines.

 

[Bird]

Sadly, I heard today an unverified report that the No's 1 & 2 selling wines in Australia (not just imported, domestic too) are now New Zealand wines.

It's amazing how tastes and preferences vary. I had to try 3 kinds of Yellowtail wine last year because my pension system is one of the investors in Yellowtail. And I didn't like any of the 3. French wines used to be generally considered to be the best in the USA (or at least that's the impression I got) and I've had occasion to try several of them and never found one I'd pay money for. Our own USA domestic wines taste better to me, but obviously lots of other folks tastes are different.