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BUNCH SELECTION COMMITTEE |
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| THE FRESNO BEE • Wednesday, September 29, 2004 |
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About 80 of us proved the old saying last week at the wine grape harvest of Westbrook Wine Farm in O'Neals. We were no ordinary farmworkers. We were the Westbrook Wine Farm Bunch Selection Committee, and we had shown up for "sparkling wine, oenobabble and sundry morning appropriate comestibles." Not to mention the real bribe: an after- harvest picnic lunch catered by Erna's Elderberry House in Oakhurst. It was enough to lure some Bay Area folks and southern Californians to town. Better yet, most of us were there by 7 a.m., shivering and sipping glasses of champagne. My first hint that this wouldn't be easy came shortly afterward, when a show of hands revealed morenewcomers than veteran committee members. "How come we don't have more returnees?" a voice called out, followed by laughter. Ray Krause, who owns the |
winery with his wife, Tammy, smiled and quickly moved the conversation forward. "What you do makes or breaks the wine," said Ray Krause, who told us to expect raisins on the vine, grapes gouged by birds and unripe green berries. Each of these would need to be discarded, and each would prove to be the bane of my existence that day. And so we marched into the vineyard. Armed with clippers and large yellow bins, we tried not to slice our fingers as we cupped grape bunches with one hand and cut the stems with the other. As the day grew warm, a rhythm started, as did conversations about restaurants and singalongs with the stereo. We pulled off our sweaters, pulled on our hats and pulled out sunscreen. We pulled our grape bins to the end of the row and started on the next one. About three hours later, the committee no longer was so cheery. "This is starting to look less glamorous with every row," a weary voice said. I nodded in agreement and rubbed my right shoulder. Another voice told us he'd given up on the clippers. Much faster to use your fingers to pull off damaged grapes, he told us. I tried his advice and found my fingers got sticky. And I realized, even if it was slower, that the clippers were more fun. They gave me time |
to observe the grapes, time to see that the bunches of petit verdot were looser than those of cabernet sauvignon. I got my second wind and worked another row. And finally, after five hours, it was time for lunch. Erna's treated us well. Huge platters of brined chicken and pork spareribs anchored the table. A salad of shaved fennel, Asian pears and plums sat at one end. Heirloom watermelon slices and chocolate cheesecake were at the other. We piled plates high and filled wine glasses. As we ate and forgot fatigue, Ray Krause introduced each of us to the rest of the committee. And then it was over. Folks mingled, then left. By the time I drove away, it was 4 p.m. On the way home, I thought about what Ray Krause had told us that morning. "It takes a lot of beer [drinking] to make good wine," he had joked. I beg to differ. It takes a lot of champagne, a lot of hard work, a lot of good humor and a lot of good food. And if you have all that, you have more than good wine. You have new friends, the memory of shared labor, and a time and place to meet again. Thanks, Ray and Tammy, for the invitation.
The
columnist can be reached at jobra@fresnobee.com or |
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any
hands make light work, especially when friends get together.|
If you think you might like to participate, give us a call at (559) 868-3499. Ray and Tammy Krause, Proprietors |
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