Category Archives: Diary of a cellar rat
Diary of a Cellar Rat: Harvest is Done
Wait let me get this straight, Californians elected Jerry Brown governor and to keep weed illegal? Is it 1974? Coming back to the real world after harvest is a little odd. You find yourself with the luxury of a two … Continue reading
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Dairy of a cellar rat: Wine class
This harvest continues to surprise me. I’m not really sure when it’s going to start in earnest. I mean we’re working 10, 12 hour days six days a week, but the winery doesn’t have that true, chaotic feeling of crush … Continue reading
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Harvest 2010 is here
Today at 9:36 a.m. my colleague Diego, using a forklift, tipped a bin loaded with Sauvignon Blanc grapes into one of the presses at Starmont and harvest had commenced. It’s been a bit of a slow burning fire this year. … Continue reading
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Diary of a cellar rat: Another harvest here already
It seems so cliché to express surprise at the steady march of time and seasons. Everyone always seems to agree when one exclaims, “July is already over? How did that happen?” I guess that’s human nature. How does it happen? … Continue reading
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This rat is now full time
Hola amigos, long time since I rapped at ya I know but I’ve been knee deep in lees and other winery muck. But the good news: the fine fellows over at Starmont have brought me on full time. Now I … Continue reading
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At the winery
Harvest is long gone, but I’m still working at the winery. I’m proud and thankful that my harvest internship has gone well into the winter. Right now we’re pulling lots of samples from the finished ’09 wines, most of which … Continue reading
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Communication breakdown
As an intern in the cellar of a Napa winery, most of my colleagues are Mexican. My Spanish is terrible, but most of my coworkers have solid English skills. However, this doesn’t mean that communication between my self and other … Continue reading
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Digging out
As harvest winds down, each day we’re digging out more and more tanks. Red wine ferments with the whole grape. The juice and colors of the grapes are extracted during fermentation leaving behind the skins and other materials, such as … Continue reading
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The final push
As I walked out of the cellar on a warm afternoon last week, I noticed the crush pad was quiet. It struck me as odd, because the grape crew had been working well into early evening lately. I figured it … Continue reading
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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 … Continue reading
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