CARP – It can be backbreaking, cold, wet, hot, sweaty, tedious work, but nearly 200 people volunteered to do it over the last couple weeks at KIN Vineyards, and loved every minute of it.

More than 175 volunteers picked more than 9,071 kilograms (20,000 pounds) of grapes starting Sept. 26 and ending just yesterday (Oct. 14).

“And that’s a wrap, as they say,” KIN Vineyard released in a statement yesterday afternoon. “Harvest for 2020 is now complete and we can’t thank all our volunteers and staff enough. Your efforts, in blistering heat through to cold and rain were nothing short of amazing. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.”

Grape picking at KIN is becoming a must-do annual event for lovers of wine and the rural west winery.

Those who do it, seem to enjoy it.

“It was a fantastic experience, Beck MacFadyen wrote on social media. “Thank you.”

While it is volunteer work, those who come out to help are treated to a harvest dinner, some wine and thank you, memento t-shirts.

Vineyard owner Lorraine Mastersmith told West Carleton Online in mid-August, this year’s grapes were looking good.

“The crop looks amazing,” Mastersmith said. “Our wine maker says it’s the best crop we’ve had yet. The vineyard is six years old and is really maturing. Brian (Hamilton) says he expects we will get 1.75 to 2 tonnes per acre. Last year we got around 1.3 tonnes. That’s about 1,000 cases of wine.”

Mastersmith owns the vineyard with her partner Shaun McEwan.