05/24/2026
Barterra only uses hand-picked grapes.
Hand-picked grapes are meticulously sorted and gently handled, making them the industry standard for premium, delicate wines. Machine-picked grapes are harvested much faster and at a fraction of the cost.
Hand-Picked (Manual)
• Quality & Selection: Pickers selectively harvest only the ripest clusters, leaving behind underripe, sun-dried (raisin), or damaged grapes.
• Gentle Handling: Bunches remain completely intact, which prevents premature oxidation and bitter juice leakage.
• Whole-Cluster Pressing: Ideal for delicate wines (like Pinot Noir) and sparkling wines that require entire, unsquished clusters.
• Terrain Access: The only viable option for steep, terraced vineyards (e.g., in the Mosel valley or Cinque Terre) where tractors cannot operate.
• Labor & Cost: Up to three times more expensive than mechanical harvesting and requires managing a large workforce.
Machine-Picked (Mechanical)
• Speed: A harvester covers an acre in under an hour, whereas humans take much longer.
• Night Harvesting: Machines can efficiently pick at night.
• Cost-Effective: Drastically cuts down on harvest-season labor and per-ton costs.
• Indiscriminate: Machines "shake" berries off the vine, meaning they will also pick up leaves, bugs, and stems, which can add bitter flavors if not sorted out at the winery.
• Berry Damage: Vigorous shaking can puncture some berries, leading to juice leakage and oxidation prior to fermentation.
