Machine harvesting
Machine harvesting or mechanical harvesting is the harvesting of grapes by means of a harvester. The so-called full harvester moves over the vine row (a row of vines) with high wheels. Swinging ropes detach grapes from the vines and special conveyor belts transport them to a collection container. The advantages of this method are speed and flexibility. The disadvantage is that the grapes are often damaged and no selection takes place. In addition, such a machine is extremely expensive to purchase. In South Africa, this method is not very current; here, most winegrowers use the much higher quality and gentler hand harvest.