“THIS is my office.” So says Pierro vineyard manager Gary Stuart, out among the vines with his staff of pickers from 16 countries.
The backpackers, here on work visas, hail from such countries as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Estonia, the UK and France.
At Pierro, they are three weeks into picking, with three more to go.
Mr Stuart said the picking was going well so far.
“Yield is up, we’re really happy with our yields. It’s going to be a good year for quality,” he said.
The premium grapes are all handpicked, and last Thursday they were at work on sauvignon blanc from vines planted in 2005.
The pickers are paid by the bucket, which adds up to an hourly rate.
“One of my staff picked $254 worth in six hours,” Mr Stuart said.
In one morning, about 30 pickers have filled 650 buckets of 10kg each.
His job is to supervise the pickers, make sure there is enough water and sunscreen available, to know if anyone has allergies, and ensure they wear reflective vests for health and safety, as well as balancing out their work hours.
He also makes a point of showing the workers around the winery so they know the “why” as well as the “how” of their work.
Mr Stuart takes pride in the team’s good morale and team spirit, and knowing everyone by name.
“The more you look after them, the more work they give you,” he said.
“Once you get a good core group you want them to stay with you.”
The group is half women, half men, although Mr Stuart notes that the women take a lot more care with their work.
They start work at 7am to avoid the hot conditions and to keep the grapes at their best, work for about three hours, to noon at the maximum.
The pickers are mostly backpackers because it’s seasonal work, but locals are welcomed too.
Local Dianne Kerr drives trucks and forklifts for the crew, a real change of lifestyle after nine years working in the corporate world as a flight attendant.
It’s a nice change, she says, from wearing makeup and pantyhose, and a good way to get fit.
She manages the “bucket boys” and confidently drives thousands of kilos of grapes around, having learned to drive a forklift with Busselton Freight.
HARVEST PROCESS:
The viticulturalists test the grapes for the right sugar levels, or baumé, to determine alcohol levels.
Once this is optimal and the weather permits, the grapes are picked, early in the cool of day to preserve their sugar levels.
The grapes are then loaded onto trucks, and taken back to the winery to be refrigerated overnight to keep their sugar levels at their best.
Sticks and leaves are removed, and then they are crushed, the juice extracted and put into vats, ready for turning into wine.
Email a friend