“nobody likes you when you're 23”

Two hands, Henschke, St. Halletts represented

Somebody needs to tell me grandma that i got a cake

Too soon to be quoting Blink-182. Probably. Lets just hope it’s not true. If you know me, you know I’m not big on birthdays.  Mine being today, February 10^th, always fell either during the height of gymnastics season or midterms.  Its never been that important to me to celebrate turning a year older, granted I’ve had some fun birthdays. Those of you who were there for my 20^th know what I’m talking about.  I know I beat this line around the block, but had you asked me at 20, or even at 21 where I would be for my 23^rd birthday I don’t think Tanunda, or even Australia would have been on the short list. I probably would have said I hope to be still in Santa Cruz, or back home.  I for sure would not have said I think I’ll spend it working a 5am to 3 pm shift at a winery in Australia pressing Semillon and sauvignon blanc grapes to make wine.  However I guess if your not celebrating your passion somehow on your birthday your not really celebrating yourself. In 22 years 364 days 18 or so hours (my birth certificate says I was almost born on the 11^th) I’ve won a statewide athletic competition, graduated high school, held a steady job, traveled to 5 continents, 17 states, spent at least 3 months total in a tent, surfed countless waves, lived with a wonderful family, kept a great group of friends, graduated with a respectable college degree, and perused what I still believe is my passion. Those things have all been made possible by mostly my family and friends, thank you so much family and friends. 

            (that was on birthday, the rest is post, written on the 12^th)

            Again, if you know me, you know birthday’s are not that big of a deal, they still seem to work themselves out to be a great time. On my actually birthday I worked. Napped, then went and hung out with a great group of interns the next town up, drank some awesome old and new wines. Let me diverge for a bit and describe to you the wine intern.  First off, they all love wine, regardless of depth of knowledge about wine; they all passionately enjoy the art/culture/flavors/experience of wine.  Some people grow up wanting to be lawyers, some want to be doctors, others teaches or paleontologists, no intern grew up wanting to work in wine, they happened into it one way or another.  It’s always by any of three main paths. School provided us with the introduction and presented further opportunities, the job we were previously in sucks and we make that leap of faith and try something new, or you were born into the industry.  No intern is ever settling for a harvest job. Harvest is the best time of year for an intern. You work somewhere around 60 hours a week for 6-8 weeks, don’t sleep, go out with other sleep deprived interns, and eat and drink incredibly well.  The standard of living in regards to food and drink for an intern during harvest is somewhere high up in the upper-class, yet it costs a hell of a lot less (hello free wine). It’s a subtle fraternity of seasonal workers that essential enable the entire wine industry to succeed (they need our “skilled” labor). Oh, and they are one of the coolest groups of people I have ever met. If you think your world is small, try the wine intern circles (hung out with an aussie who has also spent time at lumpy’s landing) This brings me full circle in regards to my “birthday” party, which was really just an excuse to have a bbq.  But invite all wine interns, and you have a feast of food and drink fit for sunset magazine. Great wines, great bbq, a chocolate cake, international friends, What more can you really ask for on your birthday.  The few presents I got were awesome bottles of wine that really aren’t even presents just a convenient excuse to open nicer wines meant to be shared. And I had homemade Mexican food (really the only present needed) Basically I’m glad how it turned out. 22 treated me very well, 23 is already looking like it could top that.

            Work is essentially going the same, just getting in lots of white varietals.  Hopefully by the end of the week we will see the first reds but we really need a nice spike in the heat to kick everything into full ripening. It looks like were going to get that with a few days in the mid to low 30’s this next week. The last two harvests I’ve worked have been shit growing years. No need to sugar (Oregon wine industry pun) coat is. The sucked. I would really like to work during a stellar vintage that is known. So in 10 years time when you look back at 2012 barossa wines. I can say I worked that awesome vintage. Things are looking up at this point, but we still need a few atmospherically warm days.  I’m going to make it a goal to post something new every few days, and not just bundle it up in bulk here, but we will see. So enjoy for now, your responses and thoughts on any of this would be appreciated, but keep the literary corrections to a minimum.