I never fully appreciated the ingenuity of the inventor until I became involved in the wine industry. From pneumatic pruning shears to grape harvesters, farmers and engineers have invented machines and processes that made the modern wine industry possible. Today’s 3D model is Prejean Winery’s Stemmer Crusher and while it is no longer cutting edge technology, it was once and the physical version of this machine has processed thousands of tons of grapes over the years.
Clicking on the AMOS sign opens up the panel, so you have an idea about what goes on the inside. Clicking on the Prejean Winery sign gives you a closer look at the basket and rod mechanism.
Grapes are poured into the funnel at the back of the machine and travel down the cylindrical shaped basket where rods separate the grapes from the stems. The grapes then fall through below and are crushed between two rollers.
The crushed grapes are then either processed in the press or if they are red, pumped into a tank and fermented on their skins.
When this machine is running, the rumble of metal and gears fill the air, muffling the buzzing of ecstatic bees dancing through the sweet, flowery aromas of harvest. I love this work.
…refer to the ‘NAVIGATING 3D VINEYARDS’ page under ‘ABOUT THIS SITE’ above if you cannot see the scene and to learn how to navigate. Here is a video for those without webgl capable devices.