Winery cellar hand, that is my job...and what that means is that I am the winery's bitch. I run around dragging hoses, switching lines from 50,000 liter tanks to other 50,000 liter tanks, I participate in warming tanks, inoculation of yeast, yadayada.
But, mostly, I look at grapes get dropped and crushed and sent to be pressed. It is quite dramatic when 15 tons of grapes drop into the stainless steal 25 ton capacity 'hopper,' as its called. This is where the fruit hits the winery and starts its way to becoming wine.
And, this is what I get to look at all day...wait...all night. Yup, I work from 7pm to 7:30 am...fancy, eh? Its not so bad, just sticky...all the time sticky.
Actually, on one of my first days a couple weeks ago, when I was cleaning up grapes, sweeping and scooping, squeegeeing and shoveling massive amounts of spilled grapes into piles to go into the conveyor to go out to the massive mound of waste grapes one of the winemakers called down to me: "Working in the winery is real glamorous, eh?"
Just what I was thinking, Darren, thanks.
Its sticky, its industrial, there are grapes everywhere, I don't know what the heck that machine is for, its dangerous, grapes, climbing up and down stairs, crushing grapes, hanging out with truckers and scooping grapes, grapes, grapes. This is what I do. And its so awesome. My 'crush' team is so fun; the night shift crew is so fun. We all do our best to keep good spirits and so far so good. We are making memories as funny things go wrong every night...tanks over flowing and hoses blowing off lines while pumping grapes and thus grapes fly around everywhere...its quite a crazy place this winery setting. And many more fun stories to come...we still have three weeks or so or 24/7 action at good ole Dryland's winery, Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand.
