Chronicles Of A Deerfield Cellar Rat - Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery > On The Job

Refurbishing

The next few pictures are of the old-fashioned redwood tank Robert and I restored. Here I'm scraping off all the old glue so it will seal properly.
Tradition

The glue we used has been around for a few thousand years: Just flower and water.
Numbered Staves

Before we took it apart, I numbered the staves so that we could put them back on in the exact same order.
Slopping It On

We had way more dough/glue than we needed so we weren't shy about using copious amounts for each stave.
Halfway

The trick is to get them all in place and get the hoop on without any of them falling over.
Almost There!

Robert's dealing with a problem stave. There were a couple that just didn't want to be cooperative.
Soak To Swell

After it was all built I kept the hose on it for several hours. The wood swelling up what we were couting on to make it seal.
Patching

A couple of days later Robert and I patched up the gaps that weren't being sealed by the swollen wood.
View From The Top

I was sitting on the stacks of bottled wine while I filled the tanks with sulphur. Thought it was a cool picture.
The Crippled Rat

Working at the winery one-handed isn't easy. Neither is typing this caption. I broke it falling off my bike.
X-ray

I had to go through a lot to get a digital copy of this so I could show you guys. I know it's not dramatic but it's debilitating.
Patented Humilation Device

I bought this waterproof cast protector so I can still do wet jobs. It has a little balloon to vacuum seal it.
The Smurf Arm

Man. It's impossible to look cool wearing this thing...
Salvador and Ryan

The new guys looking out of the bottling truck window. When it's a hundred degrees and you're in the truck, you're grateful it's there.
They're Here!

The first Deerfield grapes of 2009 have arrived! Four tons of delicious Pinot Noir grapes.
Bearing Witness

Ryan watches as the forklift approaches, bringing the first of the grapes to the sorting table.
Farmer John

Salvador gets ready to rake the grapes into the hopper at a pace that's good for the sorters below.
Scrutinization Station

Ryan looks over each and every bunch, pulling out over or under ripe grapes or any other grapes that don't live up to Deerfield standards.
Fruit!

I guess I'm just excited...
Sorters

Usually 3 guys were on bunch sorting. After the grapes are de-stemmed they are further sorted.
Dry Ice

While the bins are filled, dry ice is typically added to create a blanket of CO2 to keep oxygen away from the vulnerable juice.
The Best Method

Jaime Kutch's beautiful foot is pictured here. He is tenderly mixing the dry ice with the grapes.
Setting Up For Crush

Salvador and I prepared the equipment for crush. Not bad for a couple of rookie rats.
Ready For Action

The whole crush set up is ready to go. Dumper -> Sorting table -> De-stemmer -> Shaking table -> Another sorting table.
Harvest Underway

Everyone hard at work at the tables.
Racking Continues

Ryan learns how to rack while I work on the sorting table.
Alcoholic Butterfly

This little guy hung out with us all morning, fluttering around sipping on the wine with his probiscus. Seriously.
The First Punchdown

This is a historic picture. I'm punching down the first bin for the first time of 2009. I'll do this hundreds of times by the end of havest.
Teamwork

Everyone does their part and the work at the sorting table flows like clockwork.
Stems

At the end of the day we end up with an entire dumptruck full of grape stems. That's a lot of grapes.
A Lot Of Stems

I meant it.
Salvador

Looking snazzy in those waterproof overalls.
Ryan

We like to have fun on the job.
Pumice

After the press squeezes every last drop of juice from the grape skins the pumice is dumped in our compost pile in the vineyard.
Dean

Throwing up the horns while pumping over. That's some mad skills.
Showertime

At Camp Deerfield we lack proper showers. After a long day of work young men can be quite fragrant so we straped the hi-pressure water hose to a ladder.
Berry Sorting

Picking out anything that doesn't belong is part of what makes an outstanding wine. It can make you dizzy staring at the moving table for hours though.
Barreling Down

Filling the barrels with a new wine is a very satisfying operation.
Pump Over Machine

Everyone has their own system. Bringing everything with you at once saves valuable time.
Silhouette

Ok this is just a cool picture.
Half Ton

Every two full macro bins constitutes one TON of grapes.
View From The Top

The tables need to be constantly rearranged as they tend to move around on the slippery floor.
Stem In Mouth

I took to chewin on a grape stem as I worked. With so many to choose from only the best qualified.
Lonche

Cecelia wisely chose to give the crew a full hour lunch break because of the extremely long work days.
Sauvignon Blanc

Ripened to perfection.
Scavenger

I'm siphoning the junk out of some Sauv Blanc must that nobody wanted to make my own wine.
My First Wine

Here it is in it's glory. Ten gallons of juice that would have otherwise been thrown down the drain.
I Swear It Tastes Good

Half way through fermentation I was unsure of whether the wine would be drinkable...
The Bulldog

This pump uses nitrogen to create pressure in the barrel to pump the wine instead of using an air pump to suck it out. This way no air touches the wine.
At It Again

It sure got dirty fast.
Road To The Pad

It's a beautiful drive up to the winery past a natural pond and an environmentally protected wetland.
Classy Taxi

These beautiful rides have a minibar.
Loading The Press

A skilled forklift driver is needed here. Not a drop of juice is wasted in this operation.
Control Panel

This is the control panel that operates the press. It can create customized schedules that operate with great acccuracy. It also is known to break at the most inconvenient moments possible.
Dry Ice

Adding dry ice to some Chardonnay. Trying to cool it down so that the fermentation goes more slowly.
Barrel Tracks

Kinda reminds me of those games in the Sunday funnies where you have to follow the squiggly line.
Film Festival

This was a fantastic event at Deerfield. A live Taiko drum show and then a movie in the vineyard. I can't wait until next year!
The Sump

The first step of our on-site water treatment facility. This removes the solids from the water and dumps in the bucket so we can later compost it.
Way To Go Dean!

You pump that bin over.
One-Handed

Don't want to get any of the sticky juice on my cast. That color sure is amazing though.