Among the myriad tools used at modern vineyard and winery operations are simple hand tools like this rake with four tines. During the 1997 season of harvest and crush at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in California’s Napa Valley, staff working the crush pad used this rake to guide the grapes out of the open gondola, as it tipped its contents into the crusher/de-stemming machine. The rake was also used at the other end of the de-stemmer to gather the stems into piles that could be returned to the soil in the vineyard. The purple grape stains on the rake’s wooden handle are reminders of harvest time.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.