Wine Harvest Survival Gear, for your Physical and Mental Sanity
Working your first wine harvest isn’t just a job - it’s basically wine industry bootcamp. It will test the limits of your sanity, your need for sleep, your physical strength, and your patience with your fellow cellar hands.
If you read my first post on what to wear in the cellar, you already know that wine harvest shifts can be wet, cold, sweaty, and just about three times longer than a normal workday. What you wear matters, but what you bring with you can honestly make the difference between barely surviving and thriving.
This post covers the not-so-obvious items that can make harvest life a little easier - both mentally and physically. Some wineries will provide some of the below suggestions for you to use. Some may even gift some of these to you as a harvest present. Even if they do either of those, it’s never a bad idea to show up prepared and ready to crush it (pun intended).
A heads up - this post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually use or genuinely believe in. This is a no-BS zone.
Lights to guide the way
Picture this: you’re literally inside a press machine, spraying it out at 3AM, before the sun is even a consideration in the sky. Last thing you can or should do while dangling over a very large hole above some very hard concrete is fumble with your phone flashlight, or use one of your two hands that are already otherwise occupied to hold a flashlight to have a clue what’s going on in front of you.
A solid headlamp frees your hands and gives you actual visibility in dark nooks and crannies. Bonus points if it’s waterproof like this multi-mode headlamp. While completely unsexy and even a little dorky, once you’ve been in a situation where one false step on a slippery surface can result in serious injury, and that situation happens to be in the dark, you will be happy to have one of these lame but useful devices.
A small pocket flashlight is also clutch for situations where you actually have a free hand. Definitely recommend one of these tiny but mighty pen flashlights to just keep in one of your many pockets should the need arise. Friendly reminder to make sure everything in your pockets is secure before you lean over a tank unless you want it to join the grapes on their fermentation journey.
Hanger insurance policy
Meals during harvest are… irregular. You might get a “lunch” at 10PM or 2AM, depending on the crush schedule. And you might barely have time for even a snack, let alone a full meal, during the window in which you typically are hungry.
I, admittedly, get super hangry (read: someone with a snippy af attitude because I’m hungry). So I always need to have at least one snack bar on me.
When I’m noshy, there’s not a LARABAR flavor that I don’t like. They are literally made of just fruit and nuts, have a lot of punchy, bright flavors and don’t have any added sugar that will both a) keep you unsatiated and b) facilitate a sugar crash 30-minutes to 1-hour down the line. When I need sustenance but I’m not jonesing for something delicious, I opt for RXBAR Protein Bars, which have super simple ingredients and enough protein to keep you going into the sunset. An alternative, tastier, with more added sugar and ‘other’ ingredients protein bar that also does the satiating trick are CLIF Bars, which are also available at Costco if you don’t feel like spending all your hard earned cash on Amazon.
Dehydration prevention
Highly recommend getting a giant, easy-to-drink-from, insulated water bottle to keep accessible in the cellar. I know Stanley cups are all the rage, but honestly I haven’t jumped on that bandwagon yet and really don’t plan on doing so in the foreseeable future. One of these lightweight, stainless steel water bottles keeps beverages cold for nearly an entire day and comes in a variety of sizes.
If you’re working out in the vineyard all day under the beating sun, definitely recommend a small CamelBak backpack that holds water, allows you to drink, and doesn’t trap the heat on your back. It’s not glamorous, but it’ll keep you alive.
Electrolyte packets, like single-serve Liquid IV, can also be super useful to stave off dehydration and general misery. You don’t necessarily need to drink one every day, but keeping some in your work bag can be a literal lifesaver, especially if you’re like me and have a love-hate relationship with water drinking.
Gear for professional nappers
Chances are you will not be sleeping on a normal schedule. Even if you’re on the day shift, a 12-hour workday during harvest just hits different, and is likely to knock your circadian rhythm for a loop if you’re not used to it.
While on-site (and ideally, while on break!), sometimes a nap is just what the doctor ordered to restore your sanity from a grueling day of dragging around pipes and tools.
A blackout eye mask and decent earplugs can turn “impossible” sleep into “actually restful.” If you go the eye mask route and care even slightly about your skin, hair and eyelashes, cannot recommend enough using a silk blackout eye mask like this one. Silk is ideal because besides feeling pretty nice, it is temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking, so it prevents those silly-looking face creases, keeps your skin hydrated, and minimizes hair breakage (yes, this includes eyelashes!).
Immune system boosters
Come up with a “don’t get sick” routine and stick to it.
My drug of choice (not actually a drug) is a few drops of Oregano Oil before bed each night. I use MaryRuth Organics Oil of Oregano, but my number one rec is to ensure whatever you get is from a reputable source. For immune defense, vitamins, etc., stick to brands that you can find at your local GNC, Whole Foods, or similar and avoid whatever you find in the vitamin aisle of CVS. While yes, the bougie stores will sell more expensive herbs and supplements, at least you know it’s been properly extracted and not full of garbage that will not actually help.
Vitamin C also works wonders to help stave off illness in all sorts of wet, cold, crazy conditions. I’m all about the single-serve, easy-to-carry-with-you-wherever packets, so I always opt for these tried and true Emergen-C Vitamin C packets. I’m not sure that you should be taking these on the regular (I’m not a doctor…), but certainly taking them on occasion or when you feel the sniffles beginning is something that I have for sure partaken in with positive results.
Energy boosters
No harvest preparedness kit is complete without ample caffeine.
While most sites will at least have a rudimentary kitchen for you to heat up a beverage or brew something fresh, I still recommend bringing a sturdy travel mug or thermos. Trust me, drinking winery coffee out of a Styrofoam cup at 4AM is a low point you don’t need to experience.
As for the actual caffeine itself, while I will occasionally drink copious amounts of coffee when necessary, I don’t love the type of energy that coffee usually gives me (aka the jitters, shakes, and aggressive tingly sensations). Instead, for times when I need to stay awake but can hardly do so because ::ding ding ding:: lack of sleep, I like coffee alternatives aka energy drinks that don’t have a stupid amount of sugar and shit in them. Energy drinks like Shrub Fuel, while I can’t say is wildly popular, fits the bill of ‘healthy and punchy’ with organic, brewed guayusa leaves straight out of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
For those who need their caffeine fix, or for those who just love the taste of coffee (guilty!) and don’t mind a little buzz, Starbucks’ Via Instant Coffee single-serve packets, while completely opposite from Shrub Fuel in terms of popularity, has been my go to for decades now.
Harvest is equal parts grit and glory.
The hours are brutal, your body will ache in places you didn’t know existed, and yes, you will probably question your life choices once or twice at 4AM while hosing out a tank or shoveling seemingly endless amount of grape bits off of the floor.
But with the right gear, a few strategic snacks, and some immune-defense hacks, you can go from barely hanging on to actually thriving. Show up prepared, and harvest becomes less about survival and more about the wild, unforgettable ride it’s meant to be.
Have questions? Want to learn more wine harvest work tips and general tidbits?
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