Page 12 - Grapevine SeptOct 2021
P. 12
In The Winery
Facing Challenges
While new technology is helping wineries reduce
costs and maximize crop yields for crush season,
the deadly coronavirus and lingering drought con-
tinue to be tough challenges even for the most
experienced winemakers.
What Moves Your Wine? Just ask Penelope Gadd-Coster, the award-win-
ning winemaking consultant for Rack and Riddle
Custom Wine Services in Sonoma County,
California. She said that many of the safety steps
Rack and Riddle put in place last year to protect
against COVID-19 remain.
“Well, just when we thought we might be over
masks, they are back! Many things will be similar
to last year: masks indoors, visitors will need to be
masked, still need an appointment for meetings,
Zoom will still reign as the communication tool.”
Waukesha Positive Displacement & Centrifugal Pumps These are just a few of the strategies that Rack &
Gentle, Efficient, Carlsen Quality Riddle has deployed to operate safely during the
707-431-2000 • WWW.CARLSENASSOCIATES.COM pandemic. With the tonnage of grapes it processes
each year, the company has incorporated technolo-
gy to accommodate some of its workloads.
“Rack & Riddle has invested in some automation
that is allowing us to keep steady staffing. For
example, tirage bins are filled by robots. This was
a task that was done by seasonal workers in the
past,” said Gadd-Coster.
As for the drought plaguing California and else-
where, Gadd-Coster told The Grapevine Magazine
that growers are being forced to take drastic mea-
sures to conserve water for this year’s crush sea-
son.
“The drought is a bigger change as Healdsburg is
having to drop [usage] by 40%. Businesses are hav-
ing to come up with ways to make this happen as
well. For the vineyards, [it’s] either recycled water
or no water for vines unless the growers filled res-
ervoirs before the restrictions. Many thought that
harvest would be early due to the drought, but it is
actually coming later than average in many areas.”
Other grape-growing regions, including the
Page 10 The Grapevine • September - October 2021 877-892-5332
Grapevine Main Pages GV091021_Layout 1-1 .indd 10 8/19/21 2:26 PM
