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| Pinot Noir ready to be picked |
We’re coming to the end of a crazy busy
time at Chez DeLeo — the closing days of the grape harvest. For the past
fifteen years my DH, the winemaker, has brought in the grapes and cast his
magic to turn them into wine.
It’s a tough time. Long, stressful hours
trying to coordinate the picking, the delivery, the pressing and fermentation
of the grapes. It can be a big problem if there’s too much rain, or not enough,
and there’s the annual challenge of pulling together a team of vintage workers
from all corners of the globe.
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| Sauvignon blanc vines |
DH's first job is to go around each block of grapes, taste a sample and decide when it should be picked. It's a different decision for each type of grape, each wine style he wants to produce, and each valley in the region. With two thousand acres of grapes in our region alone, that's a lot of snacking...
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| Our valley full of vines |
Ours is a wine community with nearly
everyone involved in some way or
other. The good thing about that is that we’re all in the same boat. No one
holds parties during harvest, there are no school concerts scheduled and shops
open at unusual times to cater for shift workers who are busy round the clock.
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| Some final product |
It’s a beautiful, mad, creative, and in the
end, hugely satisfying accomplishment; a little like writing a book I guess. I
know the DH has a sense of pride in producing something that takes a lot of
time, consideration and craft just as I do with my books.
Think of me at the end of harvest party tomorrow when we all get together to celebrate the end of another "vintage" and a job well done. It won't be a big night for me though - I have a book to finish. Maybe I'll have my own "book vintage" party then!
Have you visited a winery
to see how it’s made or to taste the product? Or a chocolate factory perhaps?
