Meet Tucker. He eats hundreds of dollars of Hillside Select grapes. This guy has an educated palate! The photo is from my 2004 visit to Shafer Vineyards. We did 2 or 3 takes before he got it right.To be fair, the 2004 Hillside Select is going for $323 at current auction prices. It takes 6-8 bunches, approximately, to make a bottle of wine, he ate 2 or 3 bunches, so he "only' cost them about $165! On our tour. But, Doug Shafer once told me Tucker is a good indicator of ripeness, as he only eats the grapes around picking time!
