Monday I was walking back around the house from putting my clothes out on the line to dry and saw my host family picking grapes. I asked if I could help and was handed a bucket. My host mom and I started with the ones we could reach on foot. Pretty sure this is because I wasn't going to be trusted with a ladder. Good call on their part. After a while my host mom, who has a cold, went inside for a nap and I was left to my own devices. It went pretty well, I have to say. I got all the grapes I could on foot and then was allowed to graduate to a chair. About half way through this my host brother got home from the city and started to help. But since my host dad and sister had the ladders and I had the chair, he was reduced to using a barrel. Now, this wasn't a nice, steady barrel. This thing was old, rusty, busted in, and had a hole on the top. But he could jump up and down from it like Tarzan. He was also designated to be my helper for (I think) two reasons:
1. We only had three buckets
2. I needed the help
They also showed me where the juicer was in the garage. Once a bucket is full, we take it to this big machine, pour them in the top and grind away. The juice from the grapes goes into the barrel of this contraption and there is a spicket at the bottom where the juice comes out. Don't ask me what happens to the stuff in the buckets that are not fruit (like vines and leaves) because I have no idea.
I'm not sure what the next few steps are, but I've been told that in a few weeks (maybe it was months?) we'll have house wine. Yay!
3 comments:
Nice! You'll be prepared for Andy's house wine when you get back :)
I'm not sure if that will ever be fit for human consumption. My host family does have a bit of practice over Andy.
Many family members have tried his wine and said it's quite nice! It also made a lovely sangria you would have liked :)
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