When I arrived at the winery in Northwest Portland this morning, ready to work, I was told that, due to unfortunate circumstances, we would not be able to work today. Rather, my boss, John, just gave me a two-hour walk-through of the winery, which is basically a big warehouse in the industrial district.
The picture above is the left side of the winery. The winery is twice the size of this, with a wall dividing it into two rooms. As you can see, this room is heated. The other room is not. So, during winters, all of the barrels are kept in here so that they can be controlled at roughly 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Too much exposure to hot or cold temperatures can shock the wine, keeping the wine from aging properly or even causing undesired flavors to develop.
While walking around, John introduced me to a few jobs, like moving a few barrels around, arranging fermentation bins, and consolidating the storage area where they kept bottles that were ready to be sold (bottom left in the picture above).
After the tour, John asked me if I would like to try his wine. I said, "Definitely!" So he went to the back, and returned with a bottle of red wine. He gave me the wine, and even though I didn't really do anything that morning, he called it my "take-home" pay for the day. I can tell this is going to be a fun place to work.
The picture above is the left side of the winery. The winery is twice the size of this, with a wall dividing it into two rooms. As you can see, this room is heated. The other room is not. So, during winters, all of the barrels are kept in here so that they can be controlled at roughly 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Too much exposure to hot or cold temperatures can shock the wine, keeping the wine from aging properly or even causing undesired flavors to develop.
While walking around, John introduced me to a few jobs, like moving a few barrels around, arranging fermentation bins, and consolidating the storage area where they kept bottles that were ready to be sold (bottom left in the picture above).
After the tour, John asked me if I would like to try his wine. I said, "Definitely!" So he went to the back, and returned with a bottle of red wine. He gave me the wine, and even though I didn't really do anything that morning, he called it my "take-home" pay for the day. I can tell this is going to be a fun place to work.
A bottle of his 2008 Pinot Noir made from grapes out of the Dundee Hills region of Oregon. He sent me home after two and a half hours, telling me to arrive at 10 AM tomorrow and to consider investing in some waterproof boots. Tonight, Izzi and I decided to open the wine in celebration of my dream job. The wine was phenomenally complex and flavorful, which makes me even more excited to be a part of helping him produce his 2011 vintage.
No comments:
Post a Comment