Posts Tagged ‘Grape Sampling’

#Harvest2012: Sampling

October 5, 2012

After all, it’s called HARVEST.

Meaning, the whole thing is named for that which is being done. Harvesting happens at Harvest.

And we tend to think of Harvest in terms of clear, proscribed roles. Harvesting happens at Harvest, Harvesting is performed by Harvesters.

And there is immense truth to that.

And there is immense truth to THAT.

But that ain’t all, jack.

Because don’t look now, but there’s a winemaker in the vines!



Sampling.

The holy grail of taste.

The pick may be over for one group — for one day — yet still, those evacuated spaces await the next guard.

And in the dry, heaving air, what moves now are the dispersements of those tired old divisive aphorisms; wine is made in the vineyard, wine is made in the winery.

There’s a winemaker in the vines.

And wine is being made.

The Golden Rule Of Sampling

August 24, 2012

As we close in on the beginnings of #Harvest2012 (‘Round and ’round and ’round she goes, when will she start? Nobody knows!), sampling becomes an ever-more earnest and vital business. With ever-increasing frequency and intensity, and with an ever-escalating sense of purpose, vineyard teams make their ways into the vine-rows, pulling berries left and right, to be macerated and tasted with ever-more fierce degrees of discernment.

It is no exaggeration to say that decisions made during the sampling process have ramifications that play out over decades.

At the end of the day, there is one thing, and one thing only, that determines the how/why/what/where/when of harvest: flavor. For the collective Production Palate, this is the moment when one’s capabilities are stretched to their furthest limits. This is John Coltrane in the 68th chorus. This is Han-Shan, alone again before the Cold Mountain wall. This is Jackson Pollock hovering over the canvas as the roping snake of paint is about to strike. This is tasting as athletics; the penultimate draw upon a lifetime’s well of practice, discipline, development, and willpower.

This is serious.

And so, all the more reason to indulge in a little levity before the proverbial grape hits the destemmer. Thus, the following (from Monte Bello viticulturist Kyle Theriot):

“The golden rule of sampling: always wash your hands before getting back in the truck.” –Kyle Theriot


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