Business & Tech

Winery Folk: Heat Bad For Workers, Good For Grapes

Area vineyard managers say laborers will have to take it easy in the scorching heat.

With temperatures headed into the nineties on the North Fork, area vineyard owners and winemakers say it’s not the grapes they are worried about, it’s the workers.

“Actually grapevines love the sun and heat. They thrive in it. It’s the workers that suffer,” said Rich Olsen-Harbich, winemaker for in Cutchogue.

Though a heat wave expected to hit the region Thursday will be less brutal on the North Fork than further west, according to the National Weather Service temperatures in Mattituck will still hit 85 degrees on Thursday and top 93 degrees through the weekend.

Add in the humidity and conditions can become oppressive for field workers currently plucking leaves and trimming fruit in the vineyard.

“We’ve been starting earlier in the day and finishing earlier to escape it as much as possible,” Olsen-Harbich said.

But Bedell is not the only winery taking precautions.

“The water cooler is always nearby as is the air-conditioned break room. They're always more than welcome to call it quits for the day when it gets uncomfortable,” said Rich Pisacano, owner of Riverhead’s and vineyard manager for in Sagaponack. “We'll never pressure anyone to work in threatening conditions.”

 winemaker Juan Micieli-Martinez said the lucky workers are the ones “hedging and mowing in an air-conditioned cab.” Though many are pulling leaves, an important summer task at vineyards.

By thinning the leaves, more air and sunlight penetrate the vines, letting them soak up the sun’s rays better. At the same time, vineyard workers are cutting away fruit to concentrate the flavors on the fruit that’s left to hang. Both tasks require hours working in the hot sun.

“The crew has plenty of water and if it exceeds 90 degrees they will go home early before the intense heat,” he said.

At , co-owner David Page said workers will only spend the early hours outside.

“Our vineyard crew will work with the vines in the morning and then come inside to do some labeling when things heat up,” he said.

On the other side, the heat will help the fruit's ripening, the experts said. And the soil still has plenty of moisture from recent rains so there's no worry about drought. The heat can even burn away any lingering disease on the plants.

“If we do reach extreme conditions, I will stop any task if that can have a stress on the vines,” Pisacano said. “For example, I never hedge during the heat of the day, nor will we do any extensive leaf removing during a heat wave. These practices are harmful to the vines if one is not careful.”


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