The Grapes of (Welch’s) Wrath

New York produces more grape juice than any other state. That rich, purply, aromatic liquid includes the famous brand Welch’s Concord grape juice, invented by Dr. Thomas Welch in 1869. Like most other grape juices, Welch’s is made from native Concord grapes grown along the banks of Lake Erie, a huge viticultural region spanning not only New York but also parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Were it not for Dr. Welch, an ardent Prohibitionist, the Lake Erie region might have developed as an important producer of wine grapes rather than juice grapes.

Winemakers in California have begun to use what to protect their grapes?

A. Robots

B. Falcons

C. Guard dogs

D. Drones

As part of their sustainable farming practices, many California vintners recruit trained raptors and their handlers (falconers) to scare away the thousands of birds that descend each harvest to eat ripe wine grapes right from the vines. Many bird species enjoy the vineyard smorgasbord. Some will cleanly remove the berries (wild turkeys can consume the equivalent of a full bottle of wine in a single day), but others simply peck at the grapes to get at the pulp and seeds, leaving a damaged cluster that can harbor bacteria and fungal pathogens that can lead to off-flavors and textures.

For centuries, viticulturalists have relied on a cornucopia of creative methods to keep their vineyards from becoming an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Over time, however, birds acclimate to static scare tactics such as loud booming air cannons and balloons painted with giant eyes. Chemical repellants aren’t a good option either since they fail to meet growers’ sustainability standards. And bird netting is expensive and labor-intensive to install each year.

Falconry, on the other hand, minimizes crop losses, while treading lightly on the environment. Falcons are ferocious hunters that can see up to eight times better than a human, spot prey from more than 100 feet in the air, and dive at more than 200 miles an hour. The mere sight of a predator falcon or its shadow triggers smaller birds to flee or find cover. And no bird is complacent when a falcon is flying near them. Raptors leave behind no toxic chemicals, and they cost half as much as netting.

“Based on chemistry, DNA, ancient texts, art, ethnography and experimental archaeology, it’s clear that as humans, we are set up as biological creatures to drink alcohol.”

—Dr. Patrick McGovern
Director of Biomolecular Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania, speaking at the Origins of Wine Civilization conference at San Francisco Wine School this month.

The Grapes of (Welch’s) Wrath

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