This year’s
harvest will see more machines picking grapes than ever before. Only in
vineyards owned by small growers or in the limited area of highest quality
pagos will hand pickers be seen. The vast majority of the 7,000 hectares of vineyards
still in production have been adapted for machine harvesting because of its hugely reduced cost and increased speed as well as the possibility of night
harvesting. Picking at night reduces the risks of oxidation of the grapes
thanks to lower night time temperatures.
Demand for
pickers has been drastically reduced in the last few years and according to
figures from the agricultural union only 400 pickers will be employed – only 20%
of the number of workers employed during the year. The vineyard work requires about 2,000
temporary workers whose services won’t be required again by the vineyard
owners, mainly bodegas, till December. Experienced pickers find that it is much
more profitable to work the harvest in France as the main Spanish wine regions
have much more mechanisation. Also the pay is better: they can earn €9.61 per
hour as opposed to a little over €6 in Jerez which is the rate laid down by the
Denominación de Origen.
The harvest
in France provides work for 12,000 – 15,000 Andaluz workers mainly from the
provinces of Cádiz, Sevilla and Jaén. Unlike those workers in coastal areas who
have traded their pruning shears for the tools of the hotel and catering trade
which offers better pay thanks to tourism, many workers in Cádiz are still attracted
to the French wine areas. However the union says that they should make sure
they have a contract and all necessary documents before they go to avoid any
problems once they arrive. Fraud is not unknown.
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