Harvest Time in the Vineyard

The air is cool, the leaves are turning and harvest time has come to the Wiesloch/Rauenburg, Dielheim vineyards.

What began as a small seedling, training up a rod,

Becomes grapes hanging heavy and sweet on lush, leafy vines

So small teams come out, working each plot, gently clipping the bunches (I'm told the work is easy, it's the steep slopes that wear you out)

Bucket by bucket, then into the bins on the back of small tractors

Then those small tractors drop off to these waiting larger bins, taken by other tractors to the Weisloch Winzerkeller (wine cellar)

Up the hills, past the "Kissing House,"

Take a turn on to Bacchus Way

Then you'll see the Winzerkeller coming up (and closer in you'll actually start to smell the grapes sitting in the sun and the smell of wine)

This building is the first stop. The bins are delivered around back, and what you see happening here is just the stems shooting back out into this trailer.

Eventually it all goes into these tanks. I tried to get a tour, to get inside the action, but was told it is impossible during the harvest. They are quite busy.

So that's as far as we can get. Anyone want a bottle?

PS Just as an aside. You all know how I manage to find the right word, but in the wrong language when trying to move around Europe ... After I took the photos of the team harvesting, I said "Vielen Dank (Thank you very much)" and one of the women smiled brightly at me and said "de nada (Spanish for you're welcome)."