I work at Starmont winery, which is located in Carneros at the southern end of the Napa Valley. Starmont is owned by Merryvale Vineyards located in St. Helena in northern Napa Valley. Merryvale is the home office of the company and it’s also the public face of the winery. While most of the wine is [...]
Entries from October 2009
October 12, 2009
Attack of the yellow jackets!
One hazard of working harvest that I had not expected was swarms of yellow jackets high on grape juice. All of the processing equipment at Starmont is located outside, and as we crush grapes the juice and grape skins attract hordes of yellow jackets. As we crush the first few bins a few of the [...]
October 11, 2009
Midway and a moment of reflection
The rows of vines that once were covered in leaves of brilliant shades of green are now spotted with orange, red or dusty brown. Mornings are much colder and foggier and the coolness persists through the weaker sunshine of the autumnal afternoons. I have reached the mid-point of harvest and as I reflect back on [...]
October 10, 2009
Enough with the cryptic back text
When you pick up a bottle of wine you expect to learn a few things from reading the label. Perhaps where the grapes are sourced from, or what the wine tastes like. Not about a duck “pretending to be a mini-hovercraft.” We recently tried a bottle of Canard Sauvage Zinfandel from Sonoma County and found [...]
October 4, 2009
Two very different kinds of tastings
One recent afternoon the head of winemaking operations took myself and the two other interns at Starmont winery for a tasting of this harvest’s juice. It was a pleasant and informative experience as we walked through the cellar sampling various Chardonnay lots from different barrels. The best part was tasting the differences flavors imparted by [...]
October 1, 2009
It’s a 24-hour industry
As I drive through the vineyards to the winery in the morning, the sky is painted in light shades of blue and orange as the sun begins its ascent. The edges of my high beams catch groups of vineyard workers emerging from the rows of vines after a night’s work. Their legs are caked in [...]
