my last crush

this harvest thing is harder than i thought. working lots of hours

2.4 lbs of grapes per bottle (approx napa yield)
740 lbs of grapes per 59 gallon barrel
a ton of grapes can fill up the bed of a standard pickup truck
this is my 4th week and we've pressed about 500 tons of grapes so far

i've racked (removal of large sediment) and filtered my right hand to death
tv (i got tv/cable back) has ruined me, 57 channels and nothing on. watching th oc for the first time... i prefer the peach pit
right hand is tingly, sleep with heating pad, hurts bad in the morning can't work clasp on bra
one of my housemates (out of 5) is a chef and he cooked us a great meal tuesday night
another collects shoes, he has more than 100 pairs
who's going to visit and take advantage of the newly-discovered inter-winery discount?

My First Crush

After leaving Brooklyn (hours after my final test) a week ago yesterday, I landed in Sacramento for a few days then moved into my new napa place over the past weekend. The villa is not all mine, I think I have about 6 housemates, I've seen a dog, and then there's the couple that owns the place. House is cool, my room is nice and I'm finally in my own bed after leaving it in storage for 6 months. I'm blessed to be alive, have a comfortable place to sleep and water to drink. We are in America, I need to question my government, as well as stock up on water and canned food when they suggest it... what happened to the duct tape? Anyhoo I gotta do what I can to help.

I live in Oak Knoll and the winery I work at is in Oakville, which is just about a 10-minute drive. I started work on Tuesday and am very happy to be standing upright here on my third day. It's like a boot camp and I'm getting a work out! It's a smaller place and I'm working with 8 great guys, each of whom have plenty of harvest experience. It's cold, wet, hot, heavy work with plenty of sweeping, dragging, pushing and raking. First day was 11 hours. I was told this is nothing compared to how it'll be when the Cabernet Sauvignon gets in. I'll be learning the forklift soon too! I'm freaking sore and doing my best to keep up. My vanity and ego have the best of me, like wondering what earrings go best with my muck boots and if I sweep on the huge scale (used to measure tons of grapes) will they see how much I weigh...

No book about wine compares to seeing all this in person. My schedule is at the mercy of the grapes. If you're in Napa let me know, I got 2 wineries within walking distance from my bed.

So my pick to drink along with the advil is a Super Tuscan (does that make sense?): Nemo by Monsanto 1988 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Super Tuscan: Tuscan wine makers went against the grain using Cab and Merlot in blends (sometimes 100%) with the traditional Tuscan grape Sangiovese. The main reason for the pick is because I found it and it was at a cool wine shop, St. Helena Wine Merchants, and Geoff who helped me said he like New Mexican food. I miss my mom and want some of her tortillas.

P.S. I love and miss all you New York people, please keep in touch with me and thanks again. California friends glad to be back with you, let's hang out, Sac people don't flake.