Bottles, Barrels and Beds ... Oh My!

The 2008 Evenstad Reserve is days away from being completely bottled, which is a celebratory occasion and a sigh of relief for all of us. The bottling line requires our full attention for the better part of the day and It typically involves a lot of “hurry up and wait” tactics. Ah, but when no problems arise, the fast paced work makes the day fly by. Aside from bottling we have been busy at work sampling and labeling 2009 Pinot Noir barrels, as well receiving new barrels from our French coopers. The barrel receiving process takes the entire team to unload and thoroughly inspect each barrel inside and out for anything that could have a negative effect on the wine.

When not bottling wine or inspecting barrels, our focus shifts to the extensive pre-harvest checklist, which consists of examining and cleaning everything involved in the harvest and fermentation process. Due to the late harvest this year, we are able to spend that extra time to double check and be extra prepared for when the grapes arrive … hopefully very soon.

The interns, me included, are all moved in to our house which is walking distance from the winery. We cannot thank the Evenstad's enough for the lodgings. The 2010 interns represent 4 states (California, Oregon, Washington, and Texas) and 4 countries (Bulgaria, France, Australia and Japan). Akiko, our intern from Japan, does not live in the house with us, but in a local town. Since none of us are locals, there has been no shortage of exploring the sights of this part of Oregon as well as some local wine tasting. I think I can speak for us all when I say we have been very impressed with both.

This is my very first harvest and I'm getting extremely excited for the incoming grapes. Bring it on! - Joshua Smith, Harvest intern