Due to demand from my (apparently growing) readership, and despite the incredible frustration of using a French keyboard, I wanted to share some notes from harvest with you. I apologize for the brevity… I’ll be adding to this as I have the opportunity.

Day 1: Picked Syrah today - and it hurt. Cut my hand with the first cluster I picked. I’ve gotta say I feel pretty tough. Then again, we just got started.

Day 2: I didn’t know I had these muscles in my back. And that no, a hot shower is not enough to get rid of 8 hours worth of grape juice on one’s skin, or dirt from under one’s nails.

Day 3: I no longer recognize my hands. They belong to somebody else - somebody who works much harder than I ever have. Laced with small cuts, stained red, I remind myself that this is what wine is really about!

Having said that, however, I should note that so far, the harvest has been even rougher on my clothes than on me. Perhaps I was a little over zealous about bringing ‘throwaway’ clothes… the souls of my shoes are falling off, and I split the seat of my pants today so badly that, for once in my life, I was happy there were no women around. I can only hope that the mornings don’t get too much colder… and that my shorts manage to hold up a little bit better. Of course I’ve also learned that organic farming means mosquitoes beyond count - they actually live on the leaves. So it may come down to a choice between freezing and itching.

You are definitely getting your money’s worth when you spend more on wine that is harvested by hand. To be honest, I cannot conceive of how a machine can even do what we’ve been doing.

On a different note, I am currently living in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and being spoiled rotten. I feel rather like the Durrbachs’ crazy cousin from New York - they have completely welcomed me into the family. My French is improving at at the speed of light (if I may say so myself), and I can now vouch for the fact that everything grown at Trevallon is extraordinary, not only the grapes. And they grow everything here - so far I’ve had tomatoes, beets, potatoes, olives (and spectacular olive oil), not to mention all the herbs.

Speaking of which, time for dinner.

There will be more to come.

September 19th, 2007 | vino