From the vineyard, all the way to the cellar, not many consider the sets of hands it takes to change the lightbulb in the process of winemaking. There are the hands that cut and sort the grapes. There are the hands that transport and handle the grapes, moving the load from tractors to trucks and from trucks to forklifts. The next set of hands move the grapes into the cooling units and from then onwards into the cellar where all the other hands have cleaned and prepped the machinery.
By this phase, the winemaking starts. Hands fly back and forth like a well-oiled machine. They grab the crates of grapes, handing it to the next, and the next and the next - until the machines are loaded and the crates empty, ready once again to be filled. It takes communication and solid teamwork for this whole process to run smoothly because many things can go south which ultimately affects the quality of wine in the end.
From here hands are needed to move thick pipes and barrels around to ensure the most efficient way of getting the wine from the press into the barrels. Some hands continually check the fermentation, rack and returns, bâtonnages and so forth. And it is ultimately all these sets of hands that help me make the honest wine that I do, for without this chain of teamwork - winemaking would not be possible.
So to all these helping hands, I want to extend my sincere gratitude. I am honoured to work alongside fellow winemakers, men and women that give a helping hand to create the wines.
