Funemployment

My other half helped me see the glass half full: FUNEMPLOYMENT. While I had (actually, I still have) incredible anxiety over my new work status (or rather, lack there of) I decided to stop talking the DONEDOTCOM talk and start walking the walk.

So here I am in Napa, Day 1 of 7 for me at a harvest internship that I persuaded my wine maker friend Abe to bring me on for. It also happens to be Day 10 of Sober October. This year, Sober October is easier and harder than in years prior. Last year I had the marathon to keep me on the wagon. This year I planned to run the San Francisco marathon...in 2010. All I can say the past three Sober Octobers have trained me well and I am ever thankful for near beer. Still, at the end of the day, I miss wine. A lot.

So, ironically, back to harvest. Today I was greeted at The Winery by Johanna. A tall, lovely woman whose legs I envied because she was ALL legs and a Hollywood smile. Johanna organized events and I was her back up today.

There was a crush of Temperanillo and Chardonnay that took place today as well as a tasting of nine new releases from Scholium wines for Abe's incredibly loyal fans. I learned to work a power spray. A power spray is like a bionic water pick for cleaning things. There was a lot to clean.

I got to manage the destemmer, too, which was a matter of waiting for grapes to pass through a destemming machine and fall into a chute to be crushed then funneled into a huge barrel. Manage means, push the black button on when the bin catching the grapes was full and push the red button when it was empty.

Then there was more cleaning. I worked most closely with Jacob, a nubile winery hand who started working harvest two years ago, when he graduated high school. Jacob knew more about the wine making process than probably 90% of the Internet novices that descending upon Napa a decade ago. I was humbled by his knowledge.

Abe is a unique person as are his wines. This will be a week to remember.

Top three things I learned today:

1- Look where you're walking at a winery- I smacked my shins more than once into forklifts.

2- Tuck your pants into your rubber boots- operative words POWER SPRAY.

3- Manual labor is cathartic- I didn't have to talk to people today.