Harvest is a stressful time of year for everyone in and around wine production.
You're getting all your ducks in a row before the grapes arrive, and you want to make sure you are prepared. So how do you make sure you are ready for whatever this year throws your way? How can you ensure that your team is engaged and mistakes are minimized?
The answer, in one word: organization.
Getting organized is a no-brainer, and you might be thinking, “I know I need to be organized!” but the truth is, the more organized you are, the smoother the season will be, leading to low-stress team members ready to take on those long harvest days.
Proper winery management is more than developing a system that works for you. Consider your staff. Will they adopt the way you want things done? Is this a sustainable practice?
A great way to get organized is to pass off the burden of managing day-to-day workflow and harvest data to software tools that work for you and your team. Bring in staff members that will be using the tools to have a say in the selection process. Chances are they will want a vote in choosing a tool that they will be using daily.
This guide will spell out recommendations and tasks for pre-harvest, during, and post-harvest.