So, is there really a difference in these two harvest methods?  Machine picking takes place at night, where cooler conditions protect the fruit and require less energy to control the temperatures of the grapes while they are crushed.  There is also an advantage in using mechanical harvesters with red wines.  Bogle winemaker Eric Aafedt explains.  "When you use a mechanical harvester, you get fruit that is a bit more juicy.  That juice and skin contact is what gives a wine its tannins."  Red wines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah want those tannins to help create a well-balanced structure in the wine.  

 

Whites such as Chardonnay don't need as much of those tannins.  For this reason, nearly all of Bogle's Chardonnay grapes are hand picked.  "We like to minimize the contact with those skins, which can create some bitterness in the wine," says Aafedt.  Hand picked clusters come into the winery whole, allowing the grapes to be handled in a more "gentle" manner before being crushed.

 

Vineyard manager Warren Bogle agrees.  "One method really isn't better than another, you just want to see the grapes treated appropriately on their way to the winery and crushed shortly after being picked, however that may be."  Whether picked by hand or by machine, getting that fruit to the winery in good shape is just one more way to maintain quality in the bottle!

 

 

Machine Harvest at Dusk

Though Bogle's wines have received an award or two over the years, the winery was excited at the honor recently bestowed on AR/Shipping Manager Kim Robertson.  After a long and successful career as a world class sprinter in her native New Zealand, last month Kim was inducted into the New Zealand Olympic Hall of Fame. 

Born into a family where Dad was a Hall of Fame rugby player and Mom played basketball for NZ, Kim started running at the age of 7 at a local track club.  At 16, she was selected to represent her country at the 1974 Commonwealth Games, the youngest to compete on her team.  For the next 13 years, Kim represented her nation in the Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games, World Cup and World Championships.  During this time, she won a total of 32 track titles, the most in the history of NZ track and field, including a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Paris in 1985.  Through her career, Kim at one time or another held every sprint record, and today, 30 years later, she still holds the NZ record for the 400m, running it in 51.60 seconds!  In 1980, Kim was ranked #12 in the world and voted New Zealand Athelete of the Year.  Kim raced against (and often beat) some of the biggest names in track and field:  Florence Griffith Joyner, Marita Koch and Irena Szewinska, to name a few. 

"I am very, very proud to have worn the silver fern," says Kim, referring to the national emblem of NZ at international class. 

After retiring, Kim coached several high school athletes to national New Zealand titles, three years in a row.  She also competed at the national level in basketball and badminton.

Several years ago, Kim received her green card and moved to the Portland, OR area to be near friends and wine country.  "I wanted to work in the wine industry, as I have always had an interest!" Kim exclaimed.  In June 2009, Kim was hired at Bogle, moving to the Delta, an area she easily came to love.  An avid gardener, Kim enjoys working outside, working at Bogle and of course, the occasional run.  Certainly, no one at Bogle is willing to go up against her!