I can't say I wasn't warned. It was definitely more physical than being a sommelier. I don't feel too bad right now (7:15 PM) but ask me in the morning.
That's CellarMaster Dave wheeling around on the forklift. Those barrels have a pump called a bulldog. The Ramey team selected the barrels to use for a blend & we pumped the juice from those barrels into those big silver blending tanks, moving the pump from barrel to barrel. Then we washed the barrels using a high-pressure cleaning pump, moving the pumps from barrel to barrel, sulphered them to prevent microbial activity, moving the cannister from barrel to barrel and that was it. Simple. BUT, not easy. Obviously, that was the short version. The pumps and hoses and waterlogged clothes got heavier as the day grew longer. Oh, and by the way, it was 300 or so barrels. Dave just kept wheeling them in. Relentlessly. I loved it. Ask me again in week.
The best thing about today was the Ramey people and the interns that I met. They were all so friendly. Everyone works. Everyone has a cool story. Most of them were woman. They were doing all the same physical labor I was doing so I can't be whining tomorrow. The thing that really got me excited was that they all were really into what they were doing.
The grapes start coming in on Thursday.
ps -I am glad I bought the Muck Boots.
