Lessons from A Boutique California vs. Massive Australian Harvest
Go behind the cellar door with me at both of my harvest winemaking experiences in Paso Robles, California and McLaren Vale, Australia
Our final month of the 2018 harvest at Adelaida Vineyards & Winery was spent processing the remaining red varieties from our vineyards, including Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Carignan, and Counoise. In addition to getting the grapes from the bins in which they arrived into tanks for fermentation, we were busy taking care of all the wine we had processed thus far. This involved twice daily pumpovers and punchdowns on the fermenting tanks, nutrition additions to the wines to support yeast during fermentation, sampling all of the wine daily for analysis, topping off barrels finishing fermentation in the warm room, and more.
Once in barrel, many of the wines this vintage had what seemed to me to be extremely long and slow fermentations. I left the cellar at the end of November and only the Pinot Noir barrels had been moved out of the warm room and into the cellar. So I believe the majority of wines, including the whites we brought in at the beginning of harvest, were not completely dry (meaning fermentation had not yet completed leaving the wine with no residual sugar) or had still not completed malolactic.
One new task that popped up in the last month of harvest was adding Bactiless to the barrels that were finished with fermentation. Bactiless is a polysaccharide formulated to help control bacteria populations in wine. It can also help to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide needed to control lactic and acetic bacteria populations.
The last month of harvest was busy and exhausting. I also had some phone troubles, so I was unable to document as much of the final month as I would have liked. So I thought I would share some general lessons I learned from completing my first harvest. Here we go!
Cabernet Sauvignon is Adelaida’s most planted variety and we processed A LOT of it as harvest was coming to a close. Our winemaker decided to ferment one lot in new French oak barrels. This involved having the guys remove some of the barrel rings to get the top off of the barrel in order to fill the barrels with grapes and juice. The barrels were then turned I think 6 times a day to break the cap, promote extraction, etc. The aromatics through fermentation were stellar. I also got to taste the free run and pressed juices after everything was removed from the barrels and WOW! Incredible texture, distinctive oak aromatics and flavors, and a fuller mouthfeel than any of the other wines I tasted throughout harvest. Here are some of the benefits of red wine barrel fermentation:
Early exposure to oak and good integration of oak into wine.
Exposure to oak in the heat of fermentation
Helps to set good color
Depth of flavor enhanced with a submerged cap.
Integrated tannins, but also a lot of tannin.
Winemaking is Both an Art and a Science
Winemaking quite literally is science. In both the vineyard and the cellar, a strong understanding of the science behind wine is needed. First, to have a successful growing season and develop the wine beginning in the vineyard. Then, to be able to understand what is happening with the wine during fermentation and throughout the wine’s time in the cellar in order to make successful adjustments to the wine as needed.
Winemaking is an art because as with any other form of art, a passion for the craft is necessary. An art because a winemaker is responsible for telling the story of the place from which the wine came. Winemaking is art because an incredible bottle of wine has the power to spark conversations, open people up to new experiences, and potentially invoke an emotional response in others. After working one harvest in the cellar, I have a new appreciation for both the science and art of winemaking. But more so I have a newfound respect for everyone working in the wine industry because winemaking is hard work! Each bottle of wine deserves to be appreciated for the passion, dedication, and craftsmanship of the people who brought this wine to life.
Sexism is Real
Wine production is an industry seemingly dominated by males. While I feel that’s definitely in the process of changing, I have to give props to all my girls working in wine production. Going into harvest, I was prepared to be surrounded by a team of all males and I was fine with it. I grew up with brothers and more guy friends than girl friends, so this wasn’t a problem for me. What I was unprepared for was the amount of machismo sexism I was going to have to deal with throughout harvest. Being constantly ogled at, talked about, hit on, and made fun of in relation to being a female was pretty appalling and disappointing to say the least. The actions of others made my work environment completely uncomfortable which was also completely unnecessary. Which leads me to my next lesson…
Speaking Up and Standing Up for Yourself is Important
Though I definitely could have, I chose not to go to HR to report what was happening. Maybe I should have, but I honestly felt the problems of the employees in the cellar needed to be handled by the full time team at the winery. I made the assistant winemaker aware of some of the things that had happened so they could handle as they wanted. Don’t get me wrong though, I had no problem talking back to the guys, telling them when they were being inappropriate, and standing up for myself when needed. Even at the beginning of harvest, I had to talk to the cellar master so I wasn’t stuck on the sorting table all of harvest. I literally told him, “Look – I came here to learn, so I would appreciate it if you could give me the opportunity to do other things than sort grapes when you can.” And because I spoke up, I was able to experience all aspects of working in the cellar and learn a lot more about winemaking.
There is an Opportunity for Better Leadership and Communication in Wine Production
Based on my experience and from what I’ve heard from friends working in cellars throughout the wine industry, I think it’s safe to say this is true. Winemakers and cellar masters don’t necessarily get into the business always well prepared to be managing a diverse crew of people and to be able to do it well. Communication is crucial in any industry and even more crucial when working in a potentially dangerous environment. Maybe there is a potential business opportunity to provide some sort of structure or training program within wine production. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
Experience is an Incredible Teacher
In my opinion, experience is one of the best ways to learn. Getting to experience harvest firsthand imprinted the winemaking process in my mind forever. Which is perfect as I plan on having a career in wine and know this experience will be useful in many ways. Going through the experience brought new knowledge, prompted me to ask questions I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise, and gave me direction as I began to educate myself on the winemaking process. While there is a TON for me to learn, this experience has provided an incredible platform on where to begin. Learning the science behind winemaking will definitely require more studying for me, but experiencing this harvest has been invaluable.
Taste and Smell Everything
If you decide to work a harvest season, I recommend that you taste and smell everything. A lot. The grapes when they come in. The juice during each day of fermentation. The wine in barrel that has completed fermentation. Take a whiff of the new oak barrels before they are filled. This goes back to experience being the best teacher. With each taste and smell comes a sensory memory you can rely on when making wine down the road. Even just smelling the new oak barrels has really improved my ability to identify oak characteristics in a glass of wine.
Don’t Be Afraid To Take The Leap
If you’re thinking about doing something, but are holding back because you are afraid of the outcome or unknown, I say go for it! You never know what can happen until you try and no matter the outcome, you will always learn something through the process. I was a bit worried when I decided to work in the cellar this harvest. The early mornings, long hours, and exhausting work everyone warned me about seemed a bit intense, but my heart was set on having this experience.
I am SO happy that I took the leap and tried something new. Not only did I learn a ton about winemaking, I also learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of doing. The most unexpected part of this harvest was that I met someone! And by someone I mean my boyfriend Marco, who came all the way from Italy to work in the cellar at Adelaida for harvest. Though I like to think he came all the way from Italy for me. Soon I will be flying to Italy to meet his family for Christmas and then we’ll be headed to Australia to work the 2019 vintage in the Southern Hemisphere. Who knows if all of these wonderful things would be happening for me if I had never taken the leap to work in production this harvest season. I’m thankful that I did.
Lessons From A Massive Vintage
Around the time Marco and I were wrapping up working the 2018 vintage in California, we decided we wanted to go to Australia together the following year. The first thought was so we could be together and explore our relationship further. Marco is from Italy and I’m American, so Australia was one country where we both could easily get work visas. Plus, in America we hardly get any quality Australian wine. Mostly just the Yellowtail crap. So, I wanted to experience what Australian wine is all about.
Admittedly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to work another vintage on the heels of finishing my first. While I loved the experience, learned SO much, and furthered my passion for wine, I was exhausted. Something in my gut was telling me maybe I didn’t want to do this again. I could go and work in a tasting room in Australia and Marco could work vintage in the cellar. But for whatever reason, mostly Marco’s convincing Italian accent, I decided what the hell, why not one more?
So we applied to a few postings online and got in touch with the Cellar Manager of a winery in McLaren Vale where Marco’s friend had previously worked a vintage. This winery said they’d love to have us join the vintage crew. We quickly secured the job, then applied for and received our visas overnight. We were set!
Fast forward to February 2019. We turned up at the winery for orientation and I was shocked! The place was massive, I mean seriously massive. We’re talking 500 tanks. Very industrial. The Cellar Master had told us they typically process about 6,000 tons over vintage, but I don’t think that actually sank into my new-to-the-wine-industry brain. The whole winery was outside and didn’t exactly have the same high standards of cleanliness as the boutique winery of my previous vintage. I started imagining the number of pump overs I was going to have to do each day. Then they dropped the bomb that we would be required to work night shifts! This little bit of information wasn’t mentioned over the phone interview.
I started panicking. I didn’t want to work night shifts! Sounded way too gnarly for me. I wasn’t very happy when we got home from orientation. Vintage hadn’t even started and I already felt like I wanted to quit. There were definitely tears. Poor Marco. I went around to a few other wineries to drop my resume for cellar door jobs. Even got a job offer. But with one car and opposite schedules, taking a different job would be difficult on me and Marco. So after much deliberation and some more tears, I decided to stay on for vintage. And honestly, I’m happy I did! I learned a lot of lessons from those seriously exhausting two months. Lessons I want to share with you here, in no particular order.
Lesson #1: Quality vs. Quantity – Why Boutique Wines Have Higher Prices
I’m sure we are all familiar with the idea of quality vs. quantity. Depending on the context, one may be viewed as superior to the other. I can’t necessarily say one is superior to the other within the context of the wine industry. However, I can now clearly recognize how both have a place and serve a purpose.
My first vintage at a boutique winery in Paso Robles, we processed about 250 tons over the entire two months of vintage. My second vintage at a custom crush facility in McLaren Vale, we processed 6,000 tons over the entire two months of vintage. We processed in one day in McLaren Vale what we processed over an entire vintage in Paso Robles. So based on daily workload alone, imagine the attention to detail and care in process between the two wineries. Here’s a little breakdown comparing the beginning of the winemaking process to highlight some of the differences of my experiences.
Hopefully this snapshot of only a piece of the winemaking process gives you an idea of the difference in quality from a small vs. large production winery. For me, the differences coming from a boutique winery to an industrial one were glaring. At an industrial winery, time is the focus because there is so much fruit to process. Because of this, cleanliness can become less of a concern. However, more wine produced at a lower cost means more room for profits.
Wine is an industry after all and seeing massive semi-truck tankers drive up to the winery to be filled with finished wine made that apparent to me. Since boutique wineries are processing significantly smaller amounts of fruit on a day-to-day basis, they have the luxury of paying closer attention to detail and cleanliness at each step of the winemaking process. This attention to detail can be more labor intensive and thus more costly. Resulting for the consumer in a higher priced bottle of wine.
Lesson #2: Grit is Important to Success
As previously mentioned, I wanted to quit from the get go. I later found out I wasn’t the only vintage casual who felt this way. 12 hour night shifts. Then switching to day shifts half way through, completely messing up your body clock. Doing more than 20 pump overs every shift. Labor intensive work that literally makes your body hurt. Who wouldn’t want to quit? But I have to say I’m so happy I stuck it out. To finish something that seemed so daunting and intimidating when I started really gives me a sense of accomplishment. I also feel like I improved my character by following through with this commitment. Now I know I can achieve anything I set my mind to!
Lesson #3: The Risk is Worth the Reward
Moving across the world with an Italian, who I only met four months prior, to work vintage at a massive winery was definitely risky. Would things work out with me and Marco? Would I enjoy working another vintage? What will I do after vintage? The unknowns go on. But that’s part of life. Sometimes you just need to go for it! I have learned with my plethora of challenging life experiences that life goes on. You adapt and evolve as needed. Only a year earlier I was single and working in a completely different industry. When I decided to follow my passion for wine last year, I ended up finally meeting my match in a partner. So this bigger leap to the other side of the world, literally, brought me closer both to Marco and myself. I have learned so much about myself and more about the world in general in the past six months. And for me, that’s priceless.
Lesson #4: Money Isn’t Everything
So many people decide to work vintage because there is potential to make a lot of money. The hours are long and you can rack up a lot of over time depending on the winery. We had heard the vintage casual pay in Australia is quite good, especially with night shifts. Part of the reason we chose to work at a larger winery was because of the longer hours and potentially longer vintage, therefore greater pay. That was also the case with other casuals at the winery. Everyone came in expecting to make big money, some even took time out of university for it. But temperature spikes during the growing season led to lower yields in the region. 50% lower. And the vintage was a month shorter than expected. So not horrible money, but definitely not what we were hoping for.
My takeaway is to not let money lead your decision making. Focus on doing what you love and the money will come. If you want to work vintage to learn more about wine, definitely go for it! But don’t do it just for the money because it’s very hard work and you’re really at the mercy of nature. Oh and if you are going to work vintage, I definitely recommend working for a smaller winery if possible. Working at a larger winery you are likely to get stuck doing the same job for the entire vintage over and over again. At a smaller winery you’ll get to experience more aspects of the winemaking process and learn more along the way.