With 62 tonnes of merlot being harvested today, there was bound to be a mishap or two!
This is usually a time where one would expect to perhaps overfill a red wine tank, but Ludwich did a remarkable job in keeping track of which overhead tank was being filled! The merlot was being harvested so quickly that tractor driver Pieter Nero had to join the machine harvest team to transport the grapes to the cellar. Joel Booysen couldn’t keep up with only one trailer and we didn’t want any unnecessary oxidation taking place.
I heard the commotion even before I was called on the radio. Somehow one of the hinge pins had come loose at the back of the trailer, and as Pieter lifted it to tip the load into the hopper, the stainless steel bin slipped sideways and came to rest at an awkward angle against the wheel. We struggled for at least an hour, using the forklift and brute force to try and get the bin back into position on the trailer. Eventually we resorted to taking out both hinge pins and the hydraulic jack, and started the process of emptying the bin by hand as the photo of Leon and Tim alongside shows. Once empty we used the forklift to position it again on the base of the trailer, some quick welding on my part and we were back in business!
Earlier one of the interns managed to get the squeegee caught in the auger that transports the pressed grape skins to the compost trailer– luckily it wasn’t his leg!
This is usually a time where one would expect to perhaps overfill a red wine tank, but Ludwich did a remarkable job in keeping track of which overhead tank was being filled! The merlot was being harvested so quickly that tractor driver Pieter Nero had to join the machine harvest team to transport the grapes to the cellar. Joel Booysen couldn’t keep up with only one trailer and we didn’t want any unnecessary oxidation taking place.
I heard the commotion even before I was called on the radio. Somehow one of the hinge pins had come loose at the back of the trailer, and as Pieter lifted it to tip the load into the hopper, the stainless steel bin slipped sideways and came to rest at an awkward angle against the wheel. We struggled for at least an hour, using the forklift and brute force to try and get the bin back into position on the trailer. Eventually we resorted to taking out both hinge pins and the hydraulic jack, and started the process of emptying the bin by hand as the photo of Leon and Tim alongside shows. Once empty we used the forklift to position it again on the base of the trailer, some quick welding on my part and we were back in business!
Earlier one of the interns managed to get the squeegee caught in the auger that transports the pressed grape skins to the compost trailer– luckily it wasn’t his leg!
None of the cellar staff had much time for lunch today. Graham, however, found the time to make this '
designer' sandwich!
designer' sandwich! 
No comments:
Post a Comment