Want to Work a Grape Harvest?

  Ah, the romance of the wine country. Imagine being right in the middle of it and actually contributing to the making of the wines you love. Well, hold on there. Working a wine grape harvest ain't exactly like that.

  From August to November wineries have to bring on extra help to process the fruit. Some think it might be fun to spend a little time in California and actually work at a winery helping turn the fruit into premium wine. Of course, it's a little too late for 2017, but there's always next year. If you are really anxious to get started there's the Southern Hemisphere in February.

from the pressdemocrat.com

 
  So what does a typical harvest job look like? Well, you need empty barrels so first there's bottling wine and stacking the cases on pallets. Then there's cleaning the barrels, tanks, the floor, and all the equipment to get ready.

  Then the fruit comes in whenever it's ready--maybe too much at once. So there can be seven day weeks and 14 hour days of mostly physical labor. While you're sleepy try not to get run over by a forklift or fall on a slippery surface. And then clean everything again. Hope you're okay with yellowjackets and earwigs.

  So there must be some kind of upside? There's a feeling of accomplishment taking the fruit from clusters to tanks or barrels. There's the opportunity to travel before or after. There will be new friends from all over the world.

  From The Lush Life blog: What it's really like to work a winery harvest