Harvest

It was late in the season to harvest grapes, but it was such a weird spring and summer, weather-wise. What with tragedy at my house and all else, I really thought I had missed out on helping out my favorite winery with it.  So when I got the email last week for a call to help, I jumped at it.  No other way to feel normal than to get back to life, and Hubby would have encouraged me to go.

I grabbed a couple of bottles of ice water, put on my tennies, and left the house at 5:15 a.m. to drive to Perissos in Burnet.

I made it just before daybreak.

And jumped right in.

We  worked the Aglianico vines - there were maybe 50 wine club members there to pick.  Lots of couples or girl groups.  I worked alongside other people, but I was mostly alone and it was OK.

The vines were loaded with grapes.  We will likely not enjoy the wine made with these grapes for another 4 years.  {Wonder what life will be like in four years?  If I'm around I will have to go drink some of this wine!}

Pretty, no?  They can be devilishly hard to harvest when they grow tightly along the wires, so you get squirted fairly often with grape juice!  I was sticky and dirty at the end of 4 hours.  But I had a good time, and I felt healthy and strong enough to work hard.

We picked 9-10 tons.

I didn't stomp grapes, though. 

I took this photo and was sitting there resting, enjoying a glass, and who walks right up to me?  My sister Maggie!  She and her Hubby decided to re-join the wine club and since they knew I was there, decided to surprise me.  We sat at a picnic table, enjoying snacks until it was too hot to stay outside, then said our goodbyes so I could go check on Highlands.

It made me feel normal and was a good break from my house.

And I'm looking forward to more of that feeling.

Gina