Grape-picking in progress.

In our area (the Cher) we have many vineyards: Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Chateaumeillant often very well known by English people. They produce AOC wines (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée = Official Quality guarantee).
For two weeks, the grape-picking has been going on. Now the technique of picking the grape is not the same as it was before because the majority of wine growers (90%) use grape-picking machines. The result is that in the vineyards you can only see a few people (two or three people working the machine). Before there were “Armies” of people in the vineyards who cut the grapes, put them in baskets and after that in carts to carry the grapes to the cellars. A machine is able to replace around thirty people!
If the technique has changed, the result too. In the case of a machine, what is harvested are only the grains without the “stems”. The grapes are shaken with the means of two overlapped vibrating “combs” and the grains fall into chutes and are led into a tank located at the rear part of the machine.
When you make the wine (processes differ depending on the type of wine: white, red or rosé) the result is a bit different. The taste is not exactly the same. My opinion is that the wine is better: milder (it is only my opinion because wine growers who vintage in the traditional way say the opposite! Maybe it is for their business). Never mind both are very good!
This year the wine should be a “normal” year in quantity and quality.
Cheers!
Claude