Since working at Isenhower Cellars, I have been waiting for an opportunity to go over to Walla Walla and help at the winery, with any part of the process. Got the call last weekend – BOTTLING!!
My husband was gracious enough to see how important this it to me and my potential future in the industry. So Phil worked with me on daycare, and I was able to drive over on short notice for a lesson in bottling!
Brett & Denise were wonderful hosts as I stayed at “Hotel Isenhower”. Tuesday morning came quickly as we were at the winery by 8am, and ready to bottle.
Including Brett, there were 6 of us there to help. We had one person feeding the bottles into the machine, 2 of us double checking bottles and boxing, and then 1 person taping the cases and loading the pallets. Brett & Brent were busy monitoring the machine and making sure it was calibrated and working properly.
We fit about 75 cases to a pallet, and bottled 4 1/2 pallets by lunch time…tedious, thankless work. But the thought of getting my hands dirty in the process was also very satisfying. I think that it gives me a slight sense of ownership (using that term lightly) with the winery, and a stronger sense of pride in selling their wine. I already enjoy the wine and know it is worthy of drinking, but having experienced and witnessed just a tidbit of the work that goes into production, I have a true sense of appreciation for all the love and sweat that Brett puts into his wine.
Once the wine has finished aging in the barrels, Brett moves the wine, via pump, into the HUGE stainless barrels. This is where we pump it out and into the bottling machine. Once the barrel was emptied, Brett would sanitize and clean it right away. Seeing him next to it shows you just how big these things are!
If the machine was running well, it was an efficient process. Otherwise, it was frustrating for Brett and stop and start as he adjusted cork height, wine pour levels, etc.
This is Kenny. He was feeding the bottles into the machine. He was the lucky taker of all the “bucket wine” at the end of the days. That was the wine that was taken off the top of each bottle that accumulated in gallon jugs. He and his wife, Barb, are farmers north of Pasco and have been helping Brett bottle for years. They come over for a few days, on demand, any time the opportunity comes up.
These pallets were almost finished by the end of the first day. We still had 1 1/2 more pallets to complete by the end of Tuesday. Wednesday would be closer to 6 pallets of the 2008 River Beauty Syrah.
After bottling on Tuesday, I took a drive around the winery to take in the smells, the silence and the beauty of the surrounding area. I just love the rolling hills of vineyards, and the smell of the green. I could have pulled over anywhere and just sat in silence for hours…if I had the time.
I had a nice dinner and glass of Trust Rose for dinner. I was exhausted, completely. After a night’s rest, we were back at it on Wednesday morning. That particular wine took us until 1:30 to bottle and pallet. We had a late lunch, courtesy of Denise, and off I went, back to Seattle.
On the way out of Walla Walla, Brett suggested I hit the Reininger Winery since I hadn’t tasted their wine yet. Definitely worth the stop. I ended up with a bottle of their Merlot blend and a bottle of their Carmenere. YUM!! Thank goodness for industry discounts!
The trip home was long, but good. I hit a pretty hard downpour in the pass that was a bit tricky. It was bittersweet to get home. I was so thankful to see my family, but also a bit sad to end that time alone which was so filled with tasks. Regardless, I was thankful to be able to go, and I was paid with a case of wine (made up of all the wine we bottled over the weekend). Can’t complain about that!…
No comments:
Post a Comment