Remove those beautiful, grape-stomping virgins from your mind. Same goes for the hunky young winemaker walking through the vineyard, pensively swirling a glass of something garnet.
As thousands of California winery workers currently working the harvest can confirm, wine may have a glamorous, worldly image, but there is nothing even remotely fancy about making it.
Wine is farming. It is hauling. It is sanitizing and resanitizing equipment. It is hard work, and we're here to remind you that these are the images you should conjure up the next time you enjoy a glass of wine.
The 4 a.m. wake-up call: To ensure optimal ripeness, grapes must be picked when they are cold. In hot regions, such as Napa and Paso Robles, that often is at ungodly hours when the rest of the world is asleep. Some large wineries pick by lamplight before dawn.
The clothes: Perhaps the least glamorous thing about winemaking is what you have to wear to pick grapes. Old thick denim, a long-sleeved shirt, work boots, a wide-brimmed hat -- should we go on? This uniform protects you from sharp vines and can withstand all the abuse of a harvest day.
The sticky factor: Working with wine grapes in any capacity -- even for a few minutes -- leaves a sticky film on your hands that quickly turns syrupy, making it impossible to grip the clippers, rakes and stainless steel mashers necessary to harvest the fruit. You find yourself washing your hands more than you did when you brought home that newborn baby.
The bees: Insects have really good palates. They love the nectar as much as we do, maybe more. They will hover all over your business, from every bucket of grapes you haul down the vineyard to the first punch-down, buzzing in your ears, in front of your eyes and on your sticky hands.
The liability: Yeah, winemaking is so glamorous that some wineries make you sign a form in case you die during the process. The biggest risk is becoming overwhelmed by carbon dioxide fumes in a poorly ventilated space, such as a vat, stainless steel tank or small cellar. Grapes give off carbon dioxide during the fermentation process.
When I was lucky enough to go on a trip to Sonoma last year, I encountered a few of these non-glamorous winemaking aspects. A lifelong apiphobe, I was astounded by the sheer number of bees and how unphased the workers seemed to be around them. Also, the smell of a tank of fermenting grapes will, quite literally, take your breath away! Thinking about the difficulties of winemaking does, indeed, make a glass taste that much sweeter!
This article was written by Jessica Yadegaran and was originally published on mercurynews.com.
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