It is official, the 2nd annual Good Earth grape harvest has come to an end! Well, the harvesting side of things is over anyway. The yeast still have a bit of work to do yet, but I’m not going to rush them. Good things take time. And who am I to put pressure on several billion yeast cells anyway.
My earlier predictions of 2009 being a good year for grapes apparently caught the attention of Mother Nature, who seemed very keen to rain on that parade. But it was too little too late. No amount of rain or frost could undo the great weather of late August and September and our grapes came in clean, ripe and tasty! Again, many thanks to Chris Andrewes and his vineyard troops. Thanks also to Patrick and Isa whose conversation across the sorting table left all of us a little hungrier than we would have been otherwise….but the lunches they provided sure solved that problem. And more importantly, they have introduced us to a higher class of doughnut! Look out Beamsville bakery!
So now that harvest is over, and the work hours per week should drop back into double figures, I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my house. First up, I need to clean out all my August groceries from the fridge, and make space for all my current food cravings. Cravings include: Manchego cheese, a leg of lamb (Kiwi classic), Tankhouse ale, gorgonzola, home-made bread, a strong cheddar, apple cider (hard or otherwise), Gris Bleu cheese…..theme developing here. I’m off to Chez Fromage in Fenwick.