Harvest is racing along now. With the rain last week (0.25″ in Calistoga) and the threat of yet another storm this week bringing the same amount or more on Wednesday and Thursday, we are starting to make triage calls. This can hang, that needs to come in, etc… This may be our last week of whites, leaving only the Bordeaux reds hanging out. Quite a few of our reserve blocks came in last week with the balance coming in early this week (planned before the rain so excellent timing on To Kalon’s part!)
At home we are still working on our Master Bathroom. The drywall is going up today and tomorrow and the tile installation will start on Friday. It is going to be great but with our hard work over the weekend it got me thinking about the ways that both home installation and harvest are similar.
1) Both are weather dependent. The moisture in the air causes drywall mud to cure more slowly as well as thin set on tile so it slows down the process even if it is dry in the house. Same is true of moisture with harvest. Rain brings harvest to a halt completely and excess moisture slows down the ripening process and can cause rot (luckily we haven’t seen any major issues this year!).
2) Both feel like they take FOREVER! When you are in the midst of a crazy project or harvest it seems like it has been going on a LONG time and the end is no where in sight.
3) But when they are over you look back and think “That wasn’t so bad.” It seems like such a fun thing in hindsight that you forget the lost sleep, the setbacks, the sluggish tanks, the blown reno budget, and just appreciate what all your hard work has given you. Amazing wine and hopefully an amazing bathroom!
4) Both are super exciting to plan. I love picking out tile and vanities. I also love selecting the next blocks and putting them on the schedule. It is the best feeling in the world when you have a tank that stubbornly doesn’t want to finish fermentation yet you are somehow able to coax the yeast out of their funk and get it to go dry. There is no better feeling than that!
5) Both need the little wins celebrated. When we finished the demo of the bathroom this weekend it was a mess. I HATE drywall dust. Seriously! However, as my husband and I were sweeping it all up I realized that we had reached a critical point in our project. The point where you stop tearing apart and start putting back together. At this point, we are over 50% finished with the fruit that is scheduled to come into the winery. That is also a tipping point. We have started down the home stretch and while it seems like it will be a dramatic finish with the high sugars and the early rains, there is a light at the end of the tunnel now.
As to the rains, I welcome them. We desperately need them. We need rain more than we need a stellar vintage right now however I definitely don’t think these few small rainstorms will have a detrimental effect at this point. We are not looking at another 2011 simply because in 2011 we were struggling to reach 24 Brix. This year it seems like we will be very lucky if our average Brix stays at 26-27. We could use some more hang time so bring on the cool weather and the rain! The Cabernet can take it!
