it will soon be obvious that there are no pics of the actual harvesting of the grapes. good reason for that.... the camera and i were in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove making harvest soup (everything in the soup was harvested here in my queendom), baking bread, making Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions topped with feta cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, preparing dessert of peach crumble (from peaches we picked and froze several weeks ago). just totally being harriet-housewife-pioneer-woman and being happy that once again i wasn't out there doing back breaking labor, fighting off the yellow-jackets and stumbling over dirt clods in order to harvest the fruit of the vine.
but, however... here is Carla pressing the grapes to extract the juice to be fermented in 5 gallon carboys over the next year+.
and Ethan getting a moment of well-deserved rest while Carla slaves over the pressing.
pick-up bed with 3 happy wine makers loving the carboys full of juice.
ahhhh - muscat!! one of my most favorites.
this is the must... what's left after pressing the juice from the grapes (see top photo). the must will be left to ferment for 6 weeks or so and then will be distilled to make tzikoudia/raki, or Greek fire water, also called "nectar of the gods" or "the end of the evening", depending on the amount consumed. seriously, in Crete it is an important element of hospitality and is offered just about any time of the day (sometimes accompanied by bread or cookies) when you visit someone in their home, or go into a taverna and know the owner or a waiter or see someone you know. it's kind of part of a Cretan greeting!
a compact "cake" of must after pressing.
it's hard to believe this muddy looking liquid from the grape pressing will end up as a drinkable and enjoyable beverage. you'll just have to believe me on this, and don't spend a lot of time thinking about how your wine started out.
and so... the beginning of one more harvest. the reds still need to be harvested. hmmm - and what will i cook up for the next harvest dinner?
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