Enóloga Asistente durante la Temporada de Vendimia 2023, Viña Biodinámica Koyle, San Fernando, Chile.

Abstract

Wine is the beverage obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of grape (Vitis vinifera) must. During the harvest season, vineyards hire external personnel are hired to support the winemaking team. These personnel carry out various activities in the winery, including supervision of workers, preparation of work orders, coordination, and organization of the crushing yard and, most importantly, monitoring of fermentation. In the southern hemisphere, the grape harvest begins, in early January and end in May, although dates vary depending on the country and the climatic conditions of each region. In Chile, the Koyle winery is located in the Colchagua Valley, where external personnel were hired to support the winemaking and field team beginning at the end of January 2023. During the month of February, samples were collected each week from the vineyard's 59 plots to determine the optimal timing of the harvest. Koyle is a biodynamic project that seeks to manage the soil and natural resources without using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, maintaining a balance between the microorganisms and animals that inhabit the vineyard in order to express the terroir to its maximum potential in the wine. On Tuesday, March 8, 2023, the harvest of the different red varieties began, culminating with 1,200,000 kg of grapes. The rules established by the Demeter certification for wine production were rigorously followed, from the reception of the grapes through the whole winemaking process. The main problem during the harvest is that the external support personnel hired do not have any previous experience or studies related to viticulture, so assistant winemakers are also hired to support the chief winemaker during this season to supervise and train the staff. It is a job that requires attention to detail, cleanliness and responsibility throughout the winemaking process. During this harvest season, the author of this work directed interns and operators during the entire winemaking process, teaching them to work as a team and in an orderly manner to avoid accidents, as well as to maintain the cleanliness and responsibility of each worker in their assigned activities. Working in another country gave the author an advantage in the employment market, since Chile as a nation is widely recognized for its winemaking trajectory.