This is where we make the wine

Here is what I do for 15 hours a day at work. In picture one, the grapes come in. These are pinot noir from Oregon. Then the grapes are dumped onto the sorting table as seen in picture two. We look through the sea of grapes to find interesting things that make wine taste bad from rocks to moldy grapes. We even found a bandaid and a batman throwing plastic star in one lot. Look, there's Berlin with his hat and scraggly beard that we all have. Then, the grapes go to the conveyor belt which brings them up to the de-stemer (picture 3). The grapes are then separated from the stems and added to giant fermenters (picture 4). The grapes will ferment when yeast is added. They will continue to ferment as we punch them down every day, twice a day. Fermenters take anywhere from one to 4 weeks to ferment at which point they are pressed out and put into barrels. I have proclaimed myself 'vice president of punchdowns' because most of my time these days is spent punching down. Berlin has verified this title and will no longer accept my requests for "permission to die" until I have completed all of my punching down.

Life is good, mostly, but I'm very busy with work and grad applications. Hope ya'll are well.

Cheers.

For your consideration

You should read this article before the election, especially if you are a Christian:

What you should already know.


Also, I highly recommend this one as well, especially if you are concerned about government power. Thanks Chris:

On big government.


quote of the season:

Too many Americans have ''no recognition of the fact that children continue to be killed [by abortion], and we live therefore, in a country drenched in blood. This can't be something you start playing off pragmatically against other issues.''

- Cardinal Francis George of Chicago