Day One Picking – Stefania Wine

Out traditional first picture. 62 degrees, 6:29 AM, still dark as we head out to pick.

We arrived on site just before 7AM, with the sun just coming up. This is our ‘steep vineyard’, and only the ‘A’ team harvests here. Stef is handing out picking bins to the little crew as we start.

We had to do lots of sorting. The birds had gotten through the nets in some spots and there was some mildew at the top of the hill under the oak tree.

The hill was really hard going for me today with my chest cold. It’s 120 steps to the top, or like climbing 8 flights of stairs. I had to stop and cough 1/2 way up each time.

A blurry iPhone picture of some of the better fruit.

With the ‘A’ team and just about 400 pounds to pick this year, we were done and cleaned up by 8:30. We’re at the winery now, getting ready for Crimson Clover tomorrow and moving bins down there today. I have another check on Jury duty in and hour so Stef might have to finish on her own.

I also started the chiller for the Chardonnay harvest. Jerry and Ysidro are out now getting samples to see if we will be ready on Sunday.