That’s one of the questions I ask at every winery I visit, no matter where it’s located.
It seems like a simple enough question. But the answers I’ve heard in response open a window of insight onto the shifting demographics of labor relations in specific locations all over the world: from migrant labor to organized unions, from full-time staff to the temporarily (or marginally) employed.
Who, would you say, picks the grapes that will go into the bottle of wine you open in a year or two?
The answer may surprise you.
If you like wine from New Zealand, the grapes may have been picked earlier this year by temporary workers visiting from the nearby island of Vanuatu.
If you’ve tried wine from Lebanon, the grapes may be harvested by nomads who set up their camps alongside the roads running through the Bekaa Valley.
If you like Champagne, the grapes may be picked right now by a crew of some 200 seasonal workers – organized by one very savvy blue-collar entrepreneur – who travel from Portugal to work the harvest.
If you like wine from certain parts of Italy, the grapes may be harvested by refugees from neighboring countries. Their religion prohibits them from drinking the wine, but that doesn’t mean they can’t tend the vines or pick the grapes. Continue reading “Are You know Who Harvests Your Grapes? You’d Be Surprised”