There is an affliction upon American beer and it’s called “lite.” It seems if folks drink beer they’re of two sorts. Those who are committed snobs who aren’t phased by paying $10 for a six pack of their favorite triple hopped, organic India Pale Ale, or those who only drink light beer. To me, light [...]
Entries from September 2009
September 20, 2009
Prost!
There’s a great photo essay on Slate depicting German beer festivals, especially the Bavarian Oktoberfest in Munich. You may think Octoberfest takes place next month, but the traditional German celebration begins in September and runs into the first week of October. It began in Munich yesterday and I’m sure it was quite a party today [...]
September 16, 2009
So where is Carneros?
If you’ve read a few posts here on the blog you may be a bit confused as to where the home office is located. I use Napa and Carneros interchangeably but Carneros is actually a distinct region that spans both Napa and Sonoma counties. The AVA is home to many wineries, but sheep and cattle [...]
September 15, 2009
The hits just keep coming
My work at the winery is a physical job. From the start in the morning to the end of the day, I’m running, hauling, lifting, jumping, bending, pulling and plenty of other verbs. On a particular day though, I had my fair share of mishaps. In the morning, I slammed my hand between a piece [...]
September 15, 2009
I do a dirty job
If you’re curious about seeing a little more about what I do as a harvest intern at Starmont, try and catch the episode of the The Discovery channel’s Dirty Jobs in which the host Mike Rowe works at a winery. Rowe spent a day at Starmont winery digging in the muck and mire of wine [...]
September 14, 2009
The onslaught has begun
My hands were raw, covered in leaves and stems and sticky from grape juice. My forearm was bruised from my juice covered skin sticking to the steel of the sorting station and peeling away with a sickening ripping sound. The loud cranking of the conveyor belt mixed with the steady hum of the crusher/destemmer, and [...]
September 13, 2009
Man vs. birds
As grapes continue to ripen in the vineyards of Carneros a battle is being fought between grower and bird. Flocks of birds can descend on a vineyard and devour young grapes. To prevent a free avian buffet growers take a variety of measures. Some attach strings of reflective ribbons to the vines. The ribbons whip [...]
