Week Six..."Just when I thought I was out, they drag me back in!!"

Ah the famous quote from my favourite trilogy....The Godfather.  Just as Michael Corleone thinks he's left his old life and ways behind, circumstances force him back into the heart of the mafia.

Well the same has happened to me since we last caught up.  The winery has got wind of the fact I have a successful background in implementing operations excellence / lean management principles and have asked me to help them establish some of the basic process and procedure documentation to support the new harvest staff coming on board.  I've also been asked to work with the office and town based operations team (responsible for order fulfillment amongst other things) to document their processes and to put some key performance indicators in.

On the positive...

...if I do this well then it could be an avenue to marry my skillset with the needs of an industry I love and be the initial launching platform for Terroir Consulting (my wee business)

...the co would happily be quoted as a client which would be a good start

...I get to feel like I'm adding value as well as learning

...I am still learning a whole load about how the winery works...indeed probably more given the breadth and depth of what needs to be covered

...I get recompensed in wine!!

On the not so positive...

...it doesn't feel like a big change from what I was doing before...this was supposed to be life changing focus

...some of the work removes me from the hands on learning I was doing and puts me back in the office for part my time (though I still have to wear my steel toe capped boots for venturing into the winery).

On balance...

...this is definitely a door opening and an opportunity which should not be overlooked as a niche I can service and very well (lots of wineries are turning to lean management).  It also let's me build knowledge, a reputation and contacts which will be very useful for a business which will have fingers in many pies when I get it up and running.

So I'm going for it!!  Like Michael Corleone I just have to recognise that I have core capabilities and skills which will get pulled on and if I want to contribute (and make a living) then I'll never get out.

Other things I learned this week (before the shift in focus) included how to "rack wine from the barrel". What? I hear you ask.  This is when you move the wine from the barrels to the big stainless steel tanks and on Thursday it meant moving 15,000 litres from barrel to tank...the picture below shows you the tool (attached to massive delivery and suction hoses through a pump).  

For every barrel, you have to centre and ram the contraption into the base of the barrel, clamp it in place, close the valve, turn on the nitrogen flow to push the wine up and open the valve to let the wine flow through to the tank...timing is everything...nitrogen open with valve closed forces the barrel to explode.

You then watch the wine flow through the looking glass until it starts to bubble up with the sediment at the bottom of the barrel.  Again the gas and valve have to be closed instantly or too much of the "sludge" gets through to the tank.  You then release the gas valve which releases the pressure / nitrogen from the barrel (ah the smell is beautiful...concentrated wine smells), and unclamp the contraption then move it to the next barrel....63 times I did that on Thursday...my hands hurt.

This week I 

HUNG OUT in...Hanmer Springs for a couple days with Clarabelle...the weather was exceptionally hot so we had absolutely no desire to go to the thermal hot pools and replaced it with a big tramp in the shade of the forrest.  Hanmer Springs is a stunning alpine town beloved by anyone who pays it a visit

WINED ON...quite a few wines on a weekend winery tour taking in Villa Maria, Brancott, Wairau River, Nautilus.  The absolute standout by a country mile based on not only the wines but the scale, beauty, forward thinking, holistic sustainability practices etc was PETER YEALANDS. I won't do this often during this blog but I would absolutely encourage you to check out all that is Yealands either in person or by checking out their website (yealandsestate.co.nz).  Also impressive was the speed and personal response I received from Mr Yealands himself yo a query / suggestion I sent him last night.

DINED ON...the most beautiful roast lamb, smoked almond paste, peas with mint and feta and smoked aubergine at Brancott Heritage Centre with some of the Blenheim / Nelson crew.  

Additionally of note this week was the amazing Asian meal housemate Sarah cooked this week including chilli fused edamame beans, fried vegetarian dumplings and Katsu curry..so much effort and stunning flavour for midweek.  YUM

And this weeks postscript...what do you do when you're an inbetweener ie here too long to be on holiday but not long enough to have moved and put down roots? Well other than shamelessly clamping onto your family's social life (thanks for sharing your friends and social arrangements Claire and Gareth) you also put yourself out there and say yes to things you wouldn't normally do like meeting up with people I've only briefly met once but who are also studying WSET for wine tastings etc (still to be arranged).  I've also looked to use the time to knock some of the items off my bucket list...tonight was my first swimming lesson (whilst a strong swimmer freestyle has always eluded me), and Claire and I have taken up yoga...when you're away like this it's good to feel a bit like you're in a routine and part of local life.

Hope life is treating you all well...would be great to keep hearing from you all and what's happening in your worlds...imperative to not feeling disconnected when away for a few months. Xx

Week Five....Cellar Hands are not Beautiful Hands...

Well this week saw me with split loyalties between the vineyard for lots of berry and bunch counting, and the winery as....a cellar hand (of sorts).

Some people choose a career as cellar hands, whilst others treat it as their apprenticeship and a stepping stone up the ladder towards cellar manager and winemaker.  Duties include everything from cleaning the massive stainless steel tanks (once after use and once before use), running wine from the barrels to the tanks, cleaning the barrels, the snow run (adding dry ice to the top of each tank to seal the wine from the oxygen at the top of the tank), driving forklift trucks....so on and so forth.

On the first day I got a good overview of all of the above activities and can draw the following conclusions:

1.  The level of cleanliness in the winery is clinical....Whilst that may not be the case from winery to winery or country to country, there is absolutely no doubt the tanks, barrels and the winery itself are obsessively clean.

2.  The reason I know this is because there are some scary chemicals involved in cleaning the tanks...I was somewhat in disbelief when I was standing in gumboots, head to toe overalls, elbow length v thick gloves and a face visor to mix and use citric acid and sulphur dioxide...I know you all want to see the picture of that but figured it wasn't the moment to whip the camera out for a holiday snap...not least cos I couldn't move my hands in the gloves!!

3.  There are chemicals used throughout the process....on top of citric acid and sulphur dioxide, nitrogen forces the wine out the barrels and down the hoses into the tanks.  It also forms the basis of the dry ice.  

And all those chemicals are even before I get time in the lab with the assistant winemaker....to think I used to hate chemistry at school.  Like statistics (used for yield estimating on the vineyard) it all just needs to get applied to real life and something you love for it to make so much more sense and be ten times more interesting.

My second day on the winery involved a full day of barrel cleaning.  You know the size and shape of a wine barrel?  Well my job was to turn it 180 degrees so the hole is at the bottom and all the lees (or yeast extracts) can slop out the bottom.  You then have to turn it slightly back towards you to stick a "moog" into it which steam cleans the barrel.  Lift it back to 180 degrees to run the clean at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, turn it again to get the moog out and replace it with a cooling moog, turn it back to 180 degrees to run the cooler and remove.  Easy!! Well no it's not...WHEN YOU'RE CLEANING 72 OF THEM in a day in 27 degree heat with non breathing waterproof overalls and gumboots on!!!

THE MOOG

THE SLOP

THE FRUITS OF MY LABOUR (no pun intended)

Further lessons from Day Two on the winery:

1.  If you were to think about what goes into making your beautiful bottle of wine you may not ever drink it again....the cleaning chemicals and more importantly the lees falling out the barrel with the look, feel(?), and sound of a cow splat being produced (sorry but why should I suffer alone).

2.  There is absolutely no glamour in the production of wine....it's dangerous chemicals and gases, it's protective clothing, it's almost engineering, it's slop, it's repetitive, it's hot....it stuffs up your hands as proven below

3.  That said the barrels all have character, the smell of the wine coming out the barrels and the slop is beautifully sweet, knowing you're part of the process that ends in premium wines is hugely rewarding and each and every one of us talks about wine on the way there and on the way home...addictive and obsessive and passionate.

On a separate note, I said last week I'd tell you about what's happening to wine over here.  In brief (cos I don't want to bore you)...in the northern hemisphere a wine tasting would start with Pinot Grigio then move to Sauvignon Blanc, Chsrdonnsy, Riesling and finally Gewurtztraminer....basically dry to sweet.  New Zealand being New Zesland (and not confined by the rule book of the old world legislation) is mixing things up. They're adding oak to Sauvignon Blanc whilst taking it out of their Chsrdonnay.  Their Riesling is dry not sweet.  Their Pinot Gris is off dry and full of flavour.  True to form they are throwing convention out of the window and looking for every avenue to differentiate their wines (not least due to the number of vineyards in the one area that run a danger of all tasting the same).

This week I...

...HUNG OUT at Nelson Lakes and The TopHouse bar, St Arnaud, Nelson Lakes...a very quaint equivalent of The Drovers in Loch Lomond and surprisingly it was built for drovers!!! New Zealand's smallest bar (and an honesty one at that) with the most spectacular views over the hills and valleys

...WINED ON...a cellar door tasting at Seifried Nelson with the following standouts...their 2012 Riesling, their 2011 Zweigelt and their 2012 Sweet Agnes Riesling 2012.  Also a Loire Valley tasting night hosted at the local wine merchants.

...DINED ON...on a beautiful chicken, chilli and coconut salad at Siefried winery (getting a sense of where I spent the weekend) with aforementioned Riesling and friends old and new...only thing missing was my dedicated nurse cousin!!

Next week....less wine, more tourist

Week Four - One Grape, Two Grapes, Too Much Wine!!

Well it's been all go this week with the start of my 'volunteering' with one of the vineyards/wineries here in Marlborough....the Awatere Valley to be precise.  It was a short week to start (with Thursday being Waitangi Day here in NZ) but that was probably no bad thing to get me into the swing of things.

In the name of my education I now own a pair of steel toed work boots which I pass off remarkably well with my denim shorts, old grey tshirt and obviously my v expensive Tiffany's sunglasses; I get picked up at 6:45am in a ute and have a 45 minute drive to the office (please see photo below).

To date I have mainly been involved in bunch and berry counting to allow the yields to be estimated and forecast if either enough grapes are being produced or whether some have to be dropped ie cut off and left to rot...sounds bizarre but there are hefty fines imposed as a means of controlling the tonnes of grapes produced and thus impacting the price...a fatal error for Marlborough producers in 2008.  So what does bunch and berry counting involve...picking a sample of vines from each block of fruit, taking a bunch from a vine and literally popping off all the viable berries counting them as you go...bunch counting is picking a sample of random vines and counting the number of bunches on the vine. Simple, arguably mind numbing but surprisingly therapeutic and with a view out the office window like the one I have...who would get bored...

In addition to this I've helped fix some irrigation leaks (they let me loose with a blow torch) and entertaining a tour of Canadian wine enthusiasts on Day One welcoming them with the hongi (the traditional Maori welcome where you simultaneously touch nose and forehead with your guest)....being from Glasgow it was a close call to our own very particular renounced welcome...the Glasgow Kiss!!  Lastly I helped set up the stall for the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival which was on on Saturday.

The Marlborough Wine and Food Festival is the largest of the NZ wine festivals...a day in the sun enjoying all the wineries and local eateries have to offer whilst listening to music and hanging out with friends old and new....a great day out at the heart of a boozy, laughter and singing filled weekend.

So my observation of the week...I first came to Marlborough 15 years ago.  It was my initial introduction to wine, wineries, cellar door tours etc. In those days the many wineries which made up the region were independent mainly family affairs all finding their feet in a new global industry and heavily focused on introducing us to its now signature Sauvignon Blanc.  Today the world of Marlborough wine has changed beyond belief.  It accounts for $1bn of NZs $1.3bn total revenue from wine.  It stretches across the entire region where it used to be centred mainly around Blenheim.  It now relies on contract companies to provide the machinery and labour for all the hefty work that used to be done by the direct vineyard staff...effectively a co-operative is starting to exist between contractors, vineyards and wineries.  In addition investors are starting to buy the land with leaseback arrangements with the wine companies to free up capital.  A booming, evolving, corporate world...which I have to say takes some of the romance away.

And that's just the start...if global warming predictions are to be believed then in a few years temperatures in this part of the world will rise by 2 degrees.  Doesn't sound like much but this means that the land dedicated to vines will increase from 28,000 hectares to c50,000 hectares.  Those producing Sauvignon Blanc today will have to change to the grapes which need more heat....Pinot noir being an example.  The production of Sauvignon Blanc will move well down the valley to the areas which can't sustain it today.

In summary....the one saving grace of this industry is that grape growing needs the natural landscapes we all associate with it...hills, valleys, sea, rivers...if it didn't then this would be a concrete and stainless steel jungle which would devastate one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Next week...the Kiwis mix it all up!!

In this first week in Blenheim I...

...HUNG OUT at the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival (with friends old and new)...

...and with the friars of St Clair's winery

...WINED ON...(many but recommend) Tohu Pinot Gris and Riesling, Darling Moscato infused Sauvignon Blanc and Darling Gewurtztraminer and last but definitely not least (indeed our new best friend with chocolate brownie) Eureka 'Straw' Pinot Noir.....mmmmm yum...maybe I need to start an import business to allow me to bring these wines to you!!

...DINED ON...lunch at Wither Hills winery....Gareth won with Roast Pork Belly and Ginger Kumera Mash followed by Chocolate and Salted Caramel Delice

NEXT WEEK...the winery, the wines, the week in summary

Week Three - Kia Ora from Aotearoa: Land of Whanau, earthquakes and unexpected good times

This week I arrived in Christchurch and back into the bosom of my Whanau (Maori for family). I'm not sure the new suburb or friends Glenda has made since moving house were ready for the onslaught of four Scottish lassies being together for the first time in a year but hey ho a few drinks together soon sorted that.  

I had a lovely few days catching up with Glenda, Karen, Dave, Blair, Logan (briefly) and Claire before she and I headed back to Blenheim.  There was also Glenda's new neighbours who were all lovely and good, though brief, company.

Two things of note this week:

1. You can't live life in fear of what may happen

2. Sometimes the best of times are the least expected

Earthquakes...I first saw the devastation the earthquake of Feb 2011 caused to Christchurch on a visit almost a year later.  At that time Christchurch literally looked like it was a war zone with coffee cups and newspapers still lying on the coffee shop tables where they'd been abandoned that day; the curtains on the rooms of the Hilton hotel still blowing freely in the wind where glass used to be; oh yes and the buildings which had disintegrated to rubble in amongst the huge craters in the roads and pavements.  At that time I think we all thought it was a one off freak of nature but now on a return visit to NZ you realise that the threat of earthquakes is just a way of life here not just confined to Christchurch but across the country; indeed the week before I arrived there was an earthquake near Wellington and felt in Blenheim in the South Island.  

Claire (resident in Blenheim), Glenda (resident in Christchurch) and I were having this conversation on a day trip this week and I found myself panicking that it could happen at any moment whilst we were driving through a very long tunnel or up the side of a mountain...you really wouldn't want to be in either place.  Panic really did set in.  

However you very quickly learn that if you can't get over that then you shouldn't live in NZ...well not three quarters of it anyway.  The people of Christchurch have developed a sense of humour about the whole thing - almost a sense of defiance.  A book entitled You Know You're From Christchurch When (YKYFCW)...threw some interesting observations out there.  YKYFCW....you update the GPS co-ordinated of your house more than your Facebook page.  YKYFCW....post an aftershock you now play at guessing magnitude and location.  YKYFCW....high viz jackets are a fashion item.

So you can plan for it but you never know when or where it is coming and you certainly can't spend too much time worrying about it cos once you've been through one I'm assured you realise how powerless you are in the face of such a force of nature.

As for Christchurch...it feels like the city is busier, there are cranes adorning the city skyline (as they're now the tallest structures in a city forced to rethink how it rebuilds).  Building goods are being transported everywhere, there is a funky new visitors website and a sense that this is an opportunity to rebuild an amazing futuristic city....it does after all have a cardboard cathedral for the next few years.

As for me well probably the best way to sum it up is that it took Gareth (and a website) to tell me today that there had been a wee quake this morning whilst I was hanging out my washing...I didn't feel a thing (the first one on the pic below).

As for the best of times being unexpected...I didn't want to let this blog go without mentioning some new chums we met this week.  Glenda, Claire and I set out on Thursday to visit a number of wineries never making it passed the first we came to.  And even then if it hadn't been for the impressive responsiveness of a BMW X6's brakes I don't think we'd have been there.

We emergency stopped into a purpose built small warehouse / big garage winery called Straight 8 with a sense that if would be a quick visit, a slurp at some vinos we'd pretend we liked and a sympathy purchase of one bottle.  Meeting James Shand who was to be our host didn't really change that perception (don't worry he said that himself)...straight back from building a shed he was filthy and something to behold.  

Well who knew....two hours later we left (averaged stay at a winery is normally 20 mins) having had the most entertaining chat and interesting education on the NZ wine industry from the perspective of an independent estate battling against the ever more prevalent Big Boys.  It was fascinating.  And the wines were great as well.  None of us have ever consistently loved every style of wine presented for tasting by the one estate but this time we did.  We tried Rose, Riesling (2011, 2012, 2013), Gased (sparkling), Chardonnay (2010, 2011, 2012), Pinot Noir (2010, 2011) and Fizzy Flapper (a sparkling Pinot noir that we've promised James we'll add some gin, Cointreau and orange rind to and report back).  All were fantastic.

What an amazing couple of hours spent with very informative and generous hosts in James and Mary Jamieson and Georgie the sheepdog pup.  We'll definitely be staying in touch and if anyone is ever passing then popping in is an absolute must.....just don't be on a timetable!

So Friday brought me to Blenheim, my destination for the next seven weeks as housemate of Claire and Gareth's.  I'll thank them in advance for their hospitality.  So far Gareth's had me out learning to ride the scooter and then on my first bike ride in 9 months (sore today when I got back on). The bags are unpacked, and the next stage of the adventure starts tomorrow (after a comforting Sunday roast followed by the chocolate brownies Gareth and I just made to go with our Eureka "Straw" Pinot Noir dessert wine...more about Eureka next week).

Whilst in Christchurch and Blenheim I...

....HUNG OUT at Strsight 8 for way too long

....WINED ON...Jules Taylor Pinot Gris, Tohu Pinot Gris, plum wine, Eureka "Straw" Sauv Blanc and the occasional G&T....tonight is Straight 8 Riesling 2013....

....DINED AT.... Teppanyaki Takao at Kaiapoi

Oh and one last thing....my wine and spirit exams....I found out today I PASSED with DISTINCTION...woo hoo.

I'm not sure if it was this achievement alone or my overall influence on life that led to the nomination of a lifetime...maybe it was for my contribution to journalism...who knows but the pic below is my biggest achievement to date....

NEXT WEEK...life on a vineyard and do Marlborough Food and Wine Festival.