Bringing in the grapes is a nervous time for growers, but there is nothing but smiles on their faces during a 'dream' harvest. Marlborough's annual wine harvest has been full on with harvesters, trucks, supervisors and growers working 24 hours around the clock for more than five weeks. Last year the Marlborough region contributed 233,000 tonnes of grapes from 23,000 hecatres of vineyards. "This year has been a dream vintage and we haven't had to stop for rain at all", says Marlborough Grape Producers (MGP) Co-operative manager, Craig Howard. Hot temperatures through the summer growing period up to late February, interrupted by timely rainfall and followed by cooler autumn nights and warm days has boosted total tonnages. "The tonnage varied from sub region to sub region but fruit is a brilliant quality across the district this year, we're really excited, it's a stunning vintage, pretty close to what we expected, we're quietly confident" says MGP winemaker Drew Ellis. Pellenc Optimum grape harvesters operated in the region by leading contractors and owner operators removed the grapes from the vines with the Selectiv Process on board sorting system removing material other than grapes, delivering a fine sample direct to the winery. "It is a capital intensive operation", Craig Howard MGP General Manager says, "but there is no alternative. "There is no way you can pick Marlborough sauvignon blanc by hand, there are just not enough hands in Marlborough to do that." With significant numbers of new Pellenc Optimum's delivered for this year's harvest, interest in this amazing new machine is exciting with prospects for further new units for 2016/2017 vintage looking promising.