A Harvest Reflection

By Jamie Rubin (Harvest Intern 2020)

We continue to share with you the story of our harvest 2020 intern Jamie Rubin. This story first appeared as a post for Sommation_live, an IG channel offering a venue for wine education through shared experiences. Please enjoy!

Part II: November 2

2020 continues at a slow but steady pace. Everyone still seems mystified by how easy it is. They’re all used to 12+ hour day and 6 or 7 day weeks during this time. We’ve been out of the winery at a reasonable time most days. 

Riesling has started to roll in with force. There was a bit of a hiccup last week when a mechanical picker broke down, but between Sunday and Monday we brought in many tons of gorgeous, aromatic Riesling. Also, a fair bit of Cabernet Franc that’s destined to be rose. 

For my own part, I’m finally comfortable operating a pump. I can set up the crusher/destemmer and the press without supervision. I’m getting an idea as to how and when additions are being made. I still feel like I’m fumbling in the dark sometimes. But, it’s starting to become clearer.

I’ve been tasked with learning VinTrace which is a cloud based bit of software that’s meant to track grapes as they become must as it becomes wine as it enters bottles. It’s given me a much better idea of how things move through the winery as I enter our daily activities. The ‘why’ of things is still sometimes elusive, but Kelby and Meagz are usually on hand to provide that insight.