Wednesday night I met up with Carolyn, her mom and daughter at a hostel her husband just bought. She showed me around and convinced me to stay there when I get back to the city. She also gave me a farewell gift of local olive oil. Bizarre, I thought, but very sweet. Then it was off to the Vines to buy my face soap from Mariela, the girl I went to the asado with the previous weekend. Juliet, the Vines manager, was also there and gave me an industry discount on a bottle of wine I wanted to bring to Lindsay’s asado, which was next on my list. She also introduced me to the girl behind the bar and told her to always give me the discount. Then it was off to Lindsay and her boyfriend’s hostel for an asado they were throwing for friends who were visiting from New Zealand (Christina! I thought of you!). Cara and some of the girls from the wine tasting night came, and it was the basic drink wine, eat meat, kind of night. Got home at 2am and was up at 7am to be ready for Guillermo by 8 am.
Hauled all my bags to the front of my hostel at 8:02, no sign of G. Warily checked my email on my iPod and saw a note from him that he was now picking me up at 10. Grr. Attempted to nap on a hammock, then a couch, then gave up and read.
Once G. picked me up, we went to a palette factory, picked up some new palettes for the grape bins to be transported with and headed to the office for an hour so we could both check email. Then we drove around to two different labs looking for something one of the winemakers had forgotten last minute. Then it was off to the winery, stopping first at the gas station off the highway to fill up and getting a lunch of medialunas and facturas (croissants and pastries). Then G. had to find a wifi hot spot to send an invoice that was due in 20 minutes. Mind you, we were at a gas station on the side of the road outside of Mendoza. Fortunately the restaurant next to the gas station was wired and we sat there until his business was done. Finally made our way to the winery by 3:30pm. There I get my first taste of the harvest and immediately start taking pictures. Of the pickers among the vines, the sorters on the table, the tanks, the barrels, everything. Eddie was also there, one of the kids from Napa who came down for an internship. He had been doing a week stint with Karim, and was already there two days. Helpful to have an English speaker show me the ropes my first two days. He is a winemaker for his parents’ winery in Napa, Attrazetto, so was able to also explain a lot about what was going on as well as what was different between Napa and Mendoza.
I spent a large part of Thursday and Friday following him and Leo, the junior winemaker, around, asking questions, taking pictures, but not doing much real work. The fact of the matter is they have plenty of hired labor, and me picking grapes or sorting them is taking away work from someone else. But eventually I said I didn’t want to just sit there and take notes, give me something to do! So I was taught how to take daily measurements of the wine, including Baume (density of the juice – fermenting stops when it hits 0 as alcohol actually is lighter than water) and the temperature (this should go up as the juice turns to wine). Also was shown how to roll the barrels (instead of punching down the cap as you would in a tank, you roll the barrels to mix up all the solids and the must with the liquid part of the juice). Saturday I was shown how to help with the pumpovers (see picture) as well as adding nutrients to the first day tanks.
The end of the day Thursday Karim surprised us with a mini celebration to kick off the harvest with a bottle of sparkling Chardonnay. He, Guillermo, Leo, Claudio and I sipped our bubbles watching the sunset over the vines. That's the kind of guy Karim is. More about him in another post!
The winery, with its peeling paint and crumbling bricks, the historical dilapidated charm, with young college-aged workers singing along to top 40 music sorting grapes and hosing down machines, the forklift coming and going, smell of fermenting grapes, all leads to a unique energy that I’ve yet to encounter in a workplace. Everyone working to create wine!
Winemakers must finesse their tastebuds and know when something is up. They taste each barrel and tank every day. So of course now I’m getting to taste grapes in various stages of life, and taste juice in various stages of fermentation. I like it all.
As for living situation, I spent my first two nights in the town’s one hostel, which was more bare bones than I had remembered, run by a middle aged hippy named Daniel who blasted dance, rock, reggae, whatever music whenever he had the chance. Also a lingering smell of ganja in the air. I had my own room, but it consisted of one sad super narrow twin bed, a wooden table and one chair. No shelves or drawers to put anything on, and it was on the ground floor with a window that faced the plaza. Which happens to be next to a rowdy locals’ bar. The bathroom also left much to be desired (remember, I stayed at a hostel, in a dorm, for 2 &1/2 weeks in Mendoza, I’m not being a snob here). I was able to walk to the winery in 15 minutes for what it was worth. And go to a kiosko or café if I needed anything. But what would I need? Every lunch and dinner is done at El Cielo. More about that later. For 200 pesos more, I decided to make the move to the cabaña I had seen with Natalia. An adorable guest house about a10 minute bike ride out of town. Daniel didn’t take it very well that I was bailing on the “contract” since I said I was staying the month, and charged $150 pesos for the 2 nights, whereas the whole month was 1,000 pesos. Karim thankfully has the patience of a monk and wants the best for me, so he defended me. He laughed that Daniel, a La Consulta socialist hippy, was trying to teach me, a NY’er, how things are supposed to be done in business. He also is happy to split all housing with me, including the extra 150 pesos for the hostel, and is covering the entire 200 extra pesos for the cabin. He wants to make sure I’m happy and comfortable.
So I have no idea why I didn’t take the cabin the first time! It is the charming guest house on the land of a 70-something señora and her husband, who live on one side and her 40-something daughter and kids who live on the other. A horse is out front, and a German Shephard greets me every time I walk on the property. Inside, there’s wooden furniture and beams, brick walls, a straw thatched roof, wooden window coverings and a tile floor. Also various plants and pieces of art. The one main room has a kitchen table and chairs, a coffee table and 2 sitting chairs, a TV with 3 channels and a DVD player, an old lumpy couch that I’ve taken a liking to when writing, a tiny corner dedicated to the kitchen – a sink, half-fridge, 2-burner gas stove that you’d take camping, but plenty of cookware and glassware. Then there are the two bedrooms, mine with a king bed, bureau, armoire and nightstand (places to put my things! No living out of a backpack!), and a view of vineyards and the Andes. The other room has 2 single beds, perfect for when/if Jo and Cara come down to visit as they said they want to. And of course a tiny bathroom, all my own, where I can leave my towel and toiletries. Really, it’s the simple things in life.
Last night was the first time I slept without ear plugs in 3 months. All I could hear were dogs barking. No honking cars, no late night revelry. It was also the first time I cooked in Argentina (the cute little señora left me a bowl full of fresh veggies that I stir fried up with Carolyn’s oil…). The first time I watched a movie in Argentina (Marcela, the daughter, brought me a logic case full of 40+ burned DVDs since the TV channels are shit). Watching a Danish film (After the Wedding) with Spanish subtitles was actually pretty enjoyable. Waking up today versus waking up yesterday was such a difference in my attitude. Enjoying where you sleep can affect your mindset tremendously.
As for food, during the week, Karim takes all his meals at El Cielo, the restaurant where Guillermo and I ate my first time here. Surprisingly good, with new plates of the day everyday, as well as a solid menu that includes salads that are works of art and some of the best empanadas I’ve had so far. Also always homemade bread that come with a different spread each day. The winery has a tab at the restaurant, so anytime I want to go, I can. The desserts look like something from a NYC bakery. The other night Karim had a cream cheese type tart with macerated red berries, a hazelnut/walnut crust and hazelnut/chocolate sauce. I had a fruit salad and half of his dessert. There is also WiFi and great café cortados. It also seems to be THE gathering place for all local winemakers, who come and chat with Karim and share bottles of new wines that have yet to be bottled or marketed. Lunch is usually a two-hour affair. When Eddie was here, it was the 3 of us, but now it’s usually just Karim and myself, as well as whoever cares to join us. Getting to know Karim quite well. He loves talking philosophy, politics, world events and is extremely well-read. Favorite bands include Led Zeppeling, the Doors, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. He goes back to Mendoza every Saturday night until Monday morning so he can see his wife and change his clothes.
So today was my day off, Leo came by and dropped off a bike for me, I used Marcela’s washing machine to do two loads (free!), made it to the grocery store before its 1pm closing, napped, wrote, Skyped with both parents, and went for a run (damn the elevation hurts!). I also managed to get a bit lost on my first bike ride to the winery to give Leo back his aircard/modem that he had let me borrow last night. Riding a dude’s bike with the seat too high on a gravel dirt road where you don’t know you’re going is not fun. Just putting that out there. But when you get lost, you’re in the middle of grapevines and the Andes, so there’s something to be said for that. Here's what I saw when I was lost:
Writing three blogs now, and I fear this one will take the brunt of the beating. The Altocedro harvest log, a new something extra for Astor Center's blog back home ("Astor volunteer turned cellar rat/harvest intern!") and of course the original, BerkSpot. So if I am delinquent in this, please, please read Altocedro’s FB page and/or Astor Center’s blog.
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