Posts made in September, 2014

In California, late September and early October can be a study in contrasts. It can rain early in the morning (Oh no! We were planning a barbecue!), by noon it can be sunny and warm (relieved sighs) and the evenings are cool – perfect for dancing. During this time of year, the general mood in our area is usually one of rest after the rush of harvest. The vineyards are empty of grapes. The aromas of fermentation are wafting from the...

September in vineyard country is filled with the smells of harvest. Trucks hauling gondolas bursting with grapes drop fruit here and there, and as cars pass over them, the aroma mixes into the air in a rich stew. As we drive along the road, the first smells of fermentation flow out along with elements from the heaps of grape skins waiting to be recycled into the vineyard topsoil. Everyone’s gardens are filled with eggplants, yellow,...

The alarm never wakes us on mornings that we are scheduled to pick Pinot Noir. Brain’s just seems to know the alarm will soon start chirping. It’s just after 5:00 am. Showers would be ludicrous on a day like this, so we slip into some “clean” picking clothes and are riding a picking bin pulled behind a tractor within a half-hour of rising, having hastily gulped large amounts of strong coffee and grabbed something from the...

The wine business doesn’t believe in weekends or regular vacations. Much like being a waiter or a chef, it seems that wine is made and sold during time periods usually designated for leisure. During the summer we are hard at work, while families are on their way to beach barbecues. When the weather gets hot at the end of the summer the last thing winemakers think about is heading to some mountain lake for a refreshing dip or some...

The whole vineyard shows a golden cast as September heralds the beginning of harvest. Winemakers don’t return calls; people who work at wineries have fallen off the edge of the earth. Harvest has begun in California in earnest, and many grape varieties are being picked simultaneously. The warm spring and hot summer mean that the wineries are going to be slammed for the next month—Sauvignon Blanc is arriving on the same trucks as Pinot...