Finally pressed off, we now busy ourselves with racking our settlers off the heavy lees and barreling down. The idea is to be as gentle as possible with the wine at this juncture; we do not use any pumps to transfer the wine into barrel but instead allow the head pressure in the tank to push the liquid down a series of fixed lines into the blending level, a floor below. The flow rate is then controlled by a valve at the barreling wand. This is a function is commonly referred to as "gravity-flow" and results in fresher, less-oxidized wines than when compared to barreling with a pump.

Although there is still much work to be done--the majority of the wines from this vintage won't be released for two years--many of the interns will close out their tenure at Domaine Serene by the end of the month. Due to our imminent departure, I think the mood in the cellar has become a little introspective of late, as we attempt to put the past few months in perspective. As I look back on the harvest, I cant help but wonder what it is that drives seemingly normal, sane people to repeatedly commit to such an overwhelming undertaking. Whats more, a harvest is not just the baggage that comes along with making wine, it is unequivocally the highlight of our year. Many of us even go to great pains to participate in two every year.

Obviously all of us in the cellar are enthralled by wine; we must be interested to an almost absurd degree to devote our lives to it. However, at some point during the harvest, after a month of Mondays, roughly three hundred gallons of coffee, and woefully little sleep, there has to be something else in it besides wine.

As best as I can figure, the hidden beauty of a vintage is the suspension of reality that comes with the crush. Only in this mode does it seem perfectly reasonable to run around wearing a camouflage bandanna covered in grape juice, an unruly beard, and terribly unkempt hair in one's workplace. In this "harvest zone" we relinquish the stale names for the days of the week and replace them with different markers: Sunday becomes the day Frank Sinatra serenades the cellar in the morning, Tuesday is dry ice delivery day, and Thursday, the day we feast on tacos for lunch. Furthermore, we will proudly display our harvest hands (blackened semi-permanently from grape juice) to anyone who will cast a passing glance, blissfully unaware that gnarled and beaten-up hands aren't as revered by all.

When, at long last, we finally emerge from this parallel reality back to our normal lives, we are pleasantly surprised to realize that we have participated in something monumental and indelible, at least until many years down the road when the very last bottle of the vintage is uncorked and savored. – Written by Zach Bryant, Harvest Intern. Photos by Megan Jones.

Can You Dig It?

One of the most important rites of passage of a harvest is to dig-out a tank for pressing. After spending weeks caring for the grapes as they go through their cold-soak and fermentation, nothing is more satisfying than crossing the fermentation vessel number off the punch-down list and knowing that the next day you will put that batch to rest - or at least to settling tank - where it can slip comfortably from the forefront of our minds.

The process is deceptively simple.

Upon arrival at the winery in the morning we are greeted by a stack of work orders which list the fermenters that need to be pressed. Today, for example, one of our five-ton fermenters (F210) was first in the queue. We start by opening the valves and draining off the free-run juice, or juice that we can gather without pressing. When the tank stops draining of its own accord, we slowly crank open the door and scrape the surrounding grape skins into a stainless steel bin. This is to clear an area for a person to descend into the tank and dig it out.

Safety is our number one concern at Domaine Serene. We all get to dig out at least one tank this harvest, and only after we have properly secured our safety harness, leash, and O2 meter. We also position a fan at the top of the fermenter to blow off any lurking CO2. Once all precautions are taken, only then are we permitted to descend into the depths of the skins. Armed with a food-grade plastic shovel and tank-only gum boots that are cleaned before and after each use, we are unleashed on the skins to usher them out of the tank in any way possible.

Personally, I favor a shovel-hand combo, while some others are strictly shovel advocates. The idea is to clear the tank of skins as quickly as possible, while leaving the lees and seeds behind. The skins are then dumped from the stainless bins into the press and then lightly squeezed to remove more juice without breaking any seeds and contributing unwanted green tannins to the wine. The pressed wine is stored separately from the free-run, and left to settle until it is racked and barreled.

The end is in sight! Today we began the first of our rackings off of heavy lees, and by weeks end we will have pressed off our last ferments and began barreling down. Our work days are getting shorter and morale is high; we've nearly completed what has turned out to be a fantastic vintage. – Written by Zach Bryant, Harvest Intern. Photos by Samantha Poehlman.

Famous Corn Casserole

Well, we can’t have harvest without the famous Corn Casserole. For years this was served at our annual July 4th party at the winery. I found the recipe in a Bon Appetite Magazine in 1979, and everyone loves it. It is high calorie, but you can try light sour cream and low fat cheese. ( I haven’t tried it). For harvest the crew needs the calories.

FAMOUS CORN CASSEROLE

Preheat oven to 350 Serves 14-18

5 cups corn kernels. Best to use fresh, use canned drained if fresh not available
2 -1/2 sticks melted butter
5 eggs

Buzz in cuisinart in batches until almost pureed, then put in large bowl.

2-1/2 Cups sour cream
2-1/2 Cups diced Monterey Jack cheese
1-1/2 Cups cornmeal- I like a fine grind
2 – 4 oz cans diced mild chilis
1-4oz can jalapeno chilis. Drain well
1 T. + ½ tsp salt

Mix into large bowl with the corn mixture.

Butter a 10x16x 2 glass baking dish. Spread mixture into it.
Bake uncovered 60-70 minutes or until golden brown and set

We double this recipe for harvest and typically make 4 pans for the 4th of July. If you cut the recipe in half, check for doneness after 50 minutes of cooking. – Written by Grace Evenstad. Photos by Megan Jones.

Here comes the rain again ...

The wet weather has arrived! I'd been warned about its impending arrival countless times over the past three months, but by the end of October I must admit that I was becoming a bit dubious. However, from our perch atop Hilltop Lane we've had a front row seat for the endless parade of clouds that cant quite seem to take flight. Since all of the Domaine Serene interns live on property, our daily commute to the winery is by footpath through the vineyards. On our morning trek I don't think we've had more than ten feet of visibility through the thick pea soup of fog in nearly a week. I wouldn't think it possible to get lost on a five minute walk, but somehow I take enough meandering blind turns that my commute time has doubled.
The wet weather couldn't have been better timed in terms of winery operations. The day before the rains hit, we brought in our last fruit of the vintage: Chardonnay from the Clos du Soleil vineyard on the Evenstad Estate. By the time the first drops fell we were all comfortably indoors, our sorting table done for the season and spotlessly cleaned.

Although we took a short breath to congratulate each other on a successful harvest, we quickly resumed work as the realization dawned that the real work was yet to come. Although the fruit receival phase of the vintage is concluded, we have a winery brimming with grapes waiting (some patiently, others less so) to be become world-class wine. Our fermentations are in full swing, and our presses are fired up and running around the clock. We are absolutely in the thick of it. – Written by Zach Bryant, Harvest Intern. Photos by Megan Jones.

Unico Italiano Disperso Quassu in Oregon!

Salve a tutti gli italo-americani collegati.

Mi e' stato chiesto di scrivere un paio di cose in italiano.....purtroppo or ora siamo alle prese con una immnesa quantita' di PINO (fratello di Mario) che ha "pressa" matta di essere pressato.....quindi rimandero' a piu' tardi un mio intervento.

loris ... unico italiano disperso quassu in Oregon! – Written by Loris Tartaglia, Harvest Intern. Photos by Megan Jones.