As some of you know, I like wine almost as much as watches. Lately, I've been focusing on the smaller, boutique wineries. So when I got an invitation from Fantesca to participate in their 2012 harvest, I jumped at the chance. My wife and I hopped a plane for a long weekend in Napa Valley, California.
Fantesca is a newer winery in St. Helena, California. The owners were related to the founder of Best Buy, and used their good fortune to start a vineyard in the Spring Mountain District of Napa, near St. Helena. A few years ago, they hired the diva of California winemakers, Heidi Barrett, as their winemaker.
It's a beautiful part of the US, as this photo of their vineyard shows:
Here I am in front of the winery's Cave, wearing my Collectors' Forum Da Vinci:
I debated what to wear, and thought this one was sporty/dressy, and the steel bracelet would work well.
Our targets were of course the vines, and more particularly Fantesca's Cabernet Sauvignon grapes:
Mountain cabs can be special: the altitude and soil stresses the vines, and with proper cultivation the fruit can be particularly full as a result.
Unlike a watchmaker's tools, all you need is a glove to hold the cluster of grapes plus the knife shown here:
And here I am, getting ready to attack:
Success! Here I am, with about 15 pounds of grapes:
The bins are carried to a truck, and emptied into a larger bin:
The group of about 20 probably harvested about 300 pounds in about 90 minutes --we were slow, but meticulous:
The large bins are then fork-lifted to a sorting machine, which has a conveyor belt:
We then manually sort, removing MOG (material other than grape):
The guy with the Breitling didn't do nearly as well as me with my Da Vinci ;)
Actually, I think this activity is a good way to scratch any watch.
Out come the sorted grapes:
Which are left in bins until they're ready for crushing and fermentation in steel tanks:
And, finally, we celebrated with lunch on the Estate's grounds, with of course a plentiful helping of 2008 and 2009 vintage wines:
Being a gentleman farmer is really tough --and the Collectors' Forum Da Vinci survived this ordeal!
