Sunday Winetasting

I Was Born With A Suitcase In My Hand

Okay. So I get bored easily. Whether it is a job, food, relationships or life in general, it seems that I always need more. I think I was born with a suitcase in my hand. I am constantly on the go--living on the East Coast, West Coast, back to the Midwest and now overseas. After three months in New Zealand I am starting to grow tired of the Kiwi South Island lifestyle. It is slower paced than Chicago and the food is awful. Today I had my first gourmet meal--salmon with potatoes and mango salsa. YUMMY! It was a breath of fresh air. Every day for lunch I eat canned tuna and crackers because I don't know what else to eat. The canned tuna here is really good. There are many different flavors so I don't grow tired of it. The flavors range from sweet thai chili, ginger and lemon, tomato and basil and olives, lemon pepper, salsa and many more. I am hoping that as I travel around the rest of New Zealand, I will find that it is more culturally evolved than this rural area.

Today I went winetasting with Christian, Gabby and Andries. We went to Lawson's, Wither Hills, Villa Maria and Allan Scott. I tasted some great Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Late Harvest Riesling, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blancs. The weather has been fantastic this weekend. Crisp fall days filled with sunshine and a light breeze. It is so nice to have weekends free again. I am spending a lot of time doing nothing and it actually feels great! I did my laundry yesterday. Let me remind you that dryers are not common here so you have to hang your clothes outside to dry. It is tough during the fall and winter months so I hung up a few articles of clothing inside and put my mini heater on full blast to dry them. This took me the full day to dry a load of clothes.

Check out my pictures from today's winetasting adventure. Cheers!

Oyster Bay End of Harvest

Hanmer Springs, New Zealand

2 Weeks to Go! Copy that?

My New Zealand adventure is coming to an end. It is hard to believe that I arrived in New Zealand three months ago. During this time I have experienced so many things, both mentally and physically. On a good note...my bruises have almost disappeared. I have been fortunate to meet people of all ethnic backgrounds, of all ages, and of all personalities. It has made this journey one I will never forget. Some of these people I will see again or at least keep in touch with via email and others I will probably never have contact with or see again. All the same, each person who I had the honor to work with during harvest, has touched my life in some way or another.

All of us go through some difficult things in life. Some go through more than others. For those of you who know my past and even those of you who don't, this trip was probably one of the best decisions I have made in a really long time. I don't think that I have accomplished everything that I had hoped to accomplish, but my trip has just begun. I am beginning to feel like my old self again. I smile and I laugh. I miss my family and my friends. I apologize for not being able to email, write or call everyone personally. but I hope you are enjoying this blog.

Today I moved from Renwick (Alma Street) into a different vintage house closer to Blenheim. Everyone in our house has been split up into the remaining houses. Gabby and I have a granny flat in back of the main house and it has a bathroom and sink. It is nice to have some private space again.

This past weekend a group of 20 or so of us from the winery went to Hanmer Springs. You can check out the website http://www.hanmersprings.co.nz/thermal/home/ or here is a tidbit I copied from there:

Nestled in the magnificent South Island high country, the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa has, for 125 years, attracted visitors seeking the benefits of its natural mineral waters and clean, clear alpine air. Set in a breathtaking natural landscape, surrounded by forests and mountains, the award-winning Thermal Pools offers visitors a wide range of experiences, from soothing indulgence to exciting family fun. The Thermal Pools & Spa has nine open-air thermal pools, three sulphur pools and four private thermal pools, as well as a sauna/steam room. A fresh-water, heated pool and a popular family activity area, complete with water slides and water toys and picnic area, ensure the Thermal Pools & Spa offer something for everyone.

The pools range in temperature from 33-42° Celsius, perfect for soothing away aches and pains or for just unwinding. The Hanmer Springs geothermal water is drawn from a bore adjacent to the Reserve complex, providing natural water of the highest quality. And with a bounteous supply of the thermally heated spring water, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa is open 364 days a year.

At the heart of the Hanmer Springs Alpine Village, the Thermal Pools are within easy walking distance of a full range of accommodation, shops, a golf course and other amenities. For outdoor activity, the forests surrounding the village are criss-crossed with walking and mountain bike tracks and the region offers an exciting array of adventure activities. In winter, visitors to Hanmer Springs are only one hour's drive from two excellent ski areas.

During my visit to Hanmer Springs, I went on a nice 2 hour hike to a waterfall. Check out my pictures. I am off to bed.

Cheers,

Becky

Off to the wonderful land of "Oz" (Australia)

I am off to the wonderful land of "OZ". Australia that is. I have decided to extend my stay overseas, and I am moving to Australia on June 25, 2008. I had an interview and was offered a job at Annapurna Estate Winery in Mount Beauty, Victoria. I start the first week of July. Check out the winery's website http://www.annapurnaestate.com.au/.

Quick facts about Mount Beauty--My new home

Population approximately 1,650
344 kilometres north-east of Melbourne

Mount Beauty is nestled at the foot of Victoria's highest mountain, Mt Bogong, in the fertile Kiewa Valley. Initially developed in 1949 to house workers during construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric scheme, it has prospered into a popular tourist destination with much to offer.
Living up to its name, Mount Beauty has many scenic highlights both in and around the township. It is also a popular base for outdoor activities - from horse riding on the High Plains and bushwalking in the Alpine National Park, to mountain biking along bush tracks and fishing in the Kiewa River. For skiers, Falls Creek is just a short drive away.

Activities and Attractions
Hike through spectacular mountain landscapes
Ride a mountain bike on world class tracks - there are literally hundreds of trails to explore
Explore the scenic trails of the High Country on horseback with an experienced guide
Enjoy tranquil fishing in clear mountain streams
Visit Wallace's Hut, the oldest existing cattleman's hut in Australia
Take in the magnificent views of Mt Bogong and the Mount Beauty township from Tawonga Gap Sample the premium vintages of one of the region's fine wineries.

Link to Google Map to View Mount Beauty


http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=Mount+Beauty+VIC,+Australia&ll=-29.840644,147.128906&spn=34.109334,81.914063&z=4

P.S. The picture is from the Marlborough Harvest Party last weekend. I will post more pictures later this week.

Your traveling friend,

Becky

Back to A Semi-Normal Life

It is amazing how fast 8 hours goes after working 12 hour shifts. Last night was my first night of working 8 hours. My new schedule is from 10:45 PM to 7:00 AM. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. I am still scheduled to work 6 or 7 days a week, but now I have some spare time to enjoy or at the current time just sleep.

I have applied for and received approval for a working holiday visa in Australia. I am thinking of moving there next and working there for six months to a year. Last week I had a couple interviews. One was in Chicago and one was in Iowa. I am really not sure where I will end up in the end. I am just taking it day-by-day.

This Saturday is the year end vintage party. P-A-R-T-Y!!! There are 850 people who are going to attend from all the different wineries in Marlborough. I cannot wait.

Other than that, I have started to run again. I have signed up for the Chicago Marathon in October. So now is time to begin my training. I forgot how wonderful it feels to run--the scenery around here is quite magical. The vines are turning fall colors, there is snow in the mountains in the distance and the air is crisp. It is choice!

Up above is a picture of me working hard topping some tanks. I was so into my work that I didn't notice Nathan sneak up behind me. Of course his sidekick, Manual, was there to document it with a picture. When I got up to turn the pump off and move the lines, I was surprised to find Nathan behind me on a bucket. It was a nice laugh! Well, off to work I go.

Cheers, Becky

Diggin It in New Zealand

Last night at work was super fun! Three of us woman dug out a tank of Pinot Noir. The best part was that it was nice and warm inside the tank. Other than that, it has been slow the past couple of nights. The grapes have finished coming in and the work has slowed down. It has been almost 2 months of working harvest at Delegat's. Overall, I have enjoyed the experience even though I complain a lot. But I really I think that in the end I will look back and appreciate that I stuck with it and finished the harvest.





I am not sure what is in store for me next...I am debating doing a vintage in California this fall--Yes, I know I just moved back from there, but it is a temporary thing. Don't worry Nikki, Javier will come with me this time. I have applied for a couple harvest positions making sparkling wine. Keep your fingers crossed!

I have two days off next week!!! I cannot wait. I am a complete mess...my eyebrows need to be plucked, my legs shaved and I could use a haircut and color as well. I am looking forward to the days when I work 9-5 again. This is fun, but I am a socializer and am lacking socialization. Check out the piture of Gabby and Me inside the Pinot Noir tank. The cap was about 3 feet high. It is kind of like shoveling very packed snow. There is a quick video of me as well below.

Cheers,

Becky

A Day/Night Off!

I had the night off last night, and it was wonderful. I went shopping, out for dinner and then to a movie--Desperately, Maybe. Then I went to sleep at 2:00 AM and woke up at 3:30 PM today. It is sunny and we are going to BBQ before boarding the bus and heading back to work. There is a rumor that we only have 2 more weeks of 12 hour shifts. Then I think they cut us back to 8 hours shifts with a day off every two weeks.

I am searching for a job in the wine industry back in the United States. I am most interested in working a harvest at a winery in the Midwest and then it is back to Chicago.

During harvest, the winery has experienced its fair share of mishaps. I took a video of a 160,000 liter tank overflowing during the fermentation process. This is the tenth or so tank that has done this. There are a few factors that contribute to this: overfilling and not leaving enough head space, too much Superfood or temperature fluctuations. Last week we lost power in the whole winery for about 2 hours and all the agitators shutoff. Anyways...check out the video.

Cheers!
Becky

Another night at Oyster Bay. Here I am stirring the yeast for a 160,000 liter tank. We use over 30.5 Kilograms of yeast!!! We try to keep the yeast happy so we host a dance party as we prepare them.

Fun Times in NZ

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

I have survived one month of work as a Vintage Cellar Hand at Oyster Bay Winery. It hasn't been as glorious and as rejuvenating as I imagined it would be. In fact, this past week was a roller coaster ride...more about that later. Last night was my first night off in 14 days. I wasn't even supposed to have the night off because they cancelled all time off because harvest is underway and there is a lot of work to be done, but I knew if I didn't get a night off then I probably wouldn't make it to the end of vintage. So I asked and they agreed to let me have the night off. I cooked a nice pasta dinner, painted my toe nails, gave myself a facial and then went out for a couple beers in Blenheim. Overall, it was a much needed, relaxing evening. I made myself stay awake until 4 AM this morning so I could keep my body tuned to the night shift cycle.

Working 84 hours a week has it's advantages. I don't have time to spend money, I earn about $1200-$1300 a week before taxes and rent and in the end I know that I will appreciate my time that I have off more. I have made some extraordinary friends here from around the world. Each one brings a different perspective about the job, about wine and about life. They have kept me motivated to stick with it and I appreciate that.

The Bad
Imagine going to culinary school and once you arrive you are assigned one job. Maybe the job is checking to make sure all the ingredients are there for the recipe or mixing sugar, flour and baking soda together. But for the whole 3 months you are in culinary school, this is what you will be doing. You don't get to see how the product moves through the entire process because you are assigned one task only and you do that task day in and day out. Well, that is what it is like here at Oyster Bay. It is a factory for wine. I transfer wine from one tank to the next tank and sometimes if I am lucky, I get to move wine and warm it so I can start the fermentation process. I love doing this! I get to work with different yeasts and it is fun watching them grow.

I almost quit about 3 times this week, but I had to take a step back and realize that this is an experience that I need to finish. The work might not be exactly what I had imagined or hoped for, but I have met a lot of great people and I am living in another country. So I am going to take it for what it is. In the end, I will have saved up some money to travel to Fiji an Australia before I head back to the USA.

The Ugly

My legs and arms are covered with dark bruises, my feet are sore from my rubber steel toed boots and yesterday I sprained my right hand! It has been over a month since I started working in the cellar and it is tough work. The city girl in me is dying to go out on the town. I have cut all my fingernails off, my hair is a disaster and I miss my heels and makeup. When I get back to the USA, I am going to be changing my outfit at least twice a day. In two months, I have only worn my heels 5 times. 5 times!

I miss everyone--friends and family and my cat Javier, I miss the Chicago nightlife and I especially miss shopping and wearing my high heels. As they say here in New Zealand, Sweet As Bro.

Cheers!
Becky

Queen Charlotte Track

I Traded My High Heels for Rubber Boots

It is Sunday, March 30, 2008. I just got home from another 12 hour shift at Delegat's Oyster Bay. I am enjoying a glass...well a couple glasses...of 2006 Jacob's Creek Grenache Shiraz that I purchased at Supervalue this morning at 7:30 AM.

It has been a rough week of work. I have cuts and bruises from lugging all the hoses and machinery around and my feet hurt. Oh how I miss my high heels. My high heels are far more comfortable than the rubber steel toed boots that I am required to wear. I have an Oyster Bay uniform that I wear to work. I was given two shirts and one pair of pants so I do laundry every day. The shirts are denim long sleeve collared shirts and the pants are navy.

The harvest is still slow here. The grapes haven't quite matured and ripened yet, and it has been raining the past two days so things are on hold. It makes for some very long nights. Last night I was busy. I started work at 7 PM and was assigned a COW--Cellar Operation Work Sheet to do an addition via a dripper to a stainless steel tank. Well, a dripper basically drips, drips, drips liquid into the tank and I had to add over 40 Liters of stuff to drip into the tank! So I sat up there and watched it drip and read my Shape magazine that my mom sent me in my goody package. This was how I spent my first hour of work. Then I had to setup some pumps and mix up some additions to add to two more tanks. Setup and watch. Setup and watch. That was my night.

I posted some pictures from when I went hiking, or tramping as they refer to it here, on the Queen Charlotte Track around the Marlborough Sounds.

New Zealand Nights

I just completed my second 12 hour night shift. It is amazing how fast a day goes when you work 12 hour shifts. Here's a breakdown of my typical day:

6:25 PM get picked up by Catch-a-Bus and head to winery
6:35 PM arrive at winery and enjoy a nice espresso
6:45 PM begin work
10:00 PM Smoko-term for New Zealand break
10:15 PM back to work
1:00 AM Lunch/Dinner ???who knows what to call it at this time of night
1:30 AM back to work
4:00 AM Smoko break--this is when I overload on caffeine
4:15 AM back to work
6:45 AM shift change
7:00 AM clock out and board Catch-a-Bus
7:15 AM arrive home and check email
7:30 AM go to bed
1:00 PM wake up and eat breakfast, play on computer, run or go for a bike ride, lay out in sun, etc.
5:00 PM get ready for work
6:25 PM start all over again

The first night went really fast because I spent the first 9 hours power washing barrels and the last 3 hours cleaning bungs,, the rubber stoppers that go into the barrels, and listening to music. Last night, my second 12 hour shift was extremely long since there wasn't any barrel work and no grapes to process. We were given the option to go home, but I didn't think it was a smart since I am trying to switch my sleep schedule and such. I did some additions to tanks, setup for dispatch of wine into trucks, chilled some wine in tanks, cleaned steel railings and then layed on the cement cellar floor for about two hours. Tonight we are supposed to get a couple tons of grapes so we should be busy.

I posted some pictures of the winery. Check them out.

Becky

Delegat's Wine Estate Oyster Bay

Night Shift

Happy Easter everyone!

Harvest has officially begun at Oyster Bay. Today we received the first grapes, Sauvignon Blanc, at the winery. It's 2:09 AM and I am eating dark chocolate, drinking instant coffee and thinking about how I intend to stay awake until 7 AM. Our 12 hour shifts began today, but I was assigned the day off--we get one day off every 14 days and I was lucky enough to get the first day off. So to prep myself for my first 12 hour shift tomorrow night, I am trying to stay awake until 7 AM. I have already painted my toes, plucked my eyebrows, went for a run, went to the local pub for a few drinks with a couple of my housemates and now I am wasting time on the computer.

Today I went for a nice 5 mile run around the countryside of Renwick. I love running here because I am surrounded by vineyards and hillsides. On a side note, it is quite funny to see how the kiwi's manage birds in the vineyard. They actually drive around on a gator/tractor and shoot shotguns to try to scare them away. There are funny signs posted "Shooting in Progress". I have witnessed these shootings firsthand and honestly the birds just fly from one side of the vineyard to the other side. It is quite entertaining. I have signed up to run a half marathon in Christchurch, New Zealand after vintage ends on June 1st. Between working long hours at the winery and running and training, I should keep myself busy and get back into shape so I will be ready for this year's Chicago Marathon in October.

I am thinking about doing another vintage in the United States this fall. I am looking at either Oregon, Washington or somewhere in the Midwest. I would like to be an intern at a smaller scale winery so I can have more responsibilities and variations of job duties. I have applied to a few wineries and will see what happens over the next couple of weeks. If anyone has any connections, please let me know.

Well, I am going to work on captioning my photos so I can post them here and on Snapfish.

Good night!
Becky

New Zealand St. Patty's Day

Sweet As Bro

Picture of Me, Andries and Gabrielle

As the kiwi's say life is "sweet as bro!" here in New Zealand. Translation for "sweet as bro" is rather good, great or cool. I cannot believe that I left Chicago almost one month ago.

I just finished my second week at Delegat's. The grapes haven't been harvested yet, so there hasn't been much vintage work to do at the winery. Wednesday we found out our shifts and job assignments. I was assigned the white cellars position for vintage so I will be working with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. This week I have cleaned barrels--this entails dumping the lees, washing them out with water, steam cleaning them, wiping them with sulfur, scrubbing off stickers and putting sulfur water in them. Other than that I learned how to setup and clean tanks, scrubbed the floors, bagged sulfur additions, cleaned the boiler room floor and did lots of walking around and socializing.

Wednesday night we had a pre-vintage party at the beach. We drank some beer and wine, played soccer, rubgy and cricket and had a BBQ. It was really fun.

This week the grapes will start to arrive, so we begin our real shifts. I am working the 7 PM to 7 AM shift. I am really excited because when I get off work I will be able to have some day light hours to enjoy. I also get to work with Gabrielle, the other woman in my house. We are going to have a lot of fun!!!

This weekend was fantastic! Friday our house finally got WI-FI hooked up so later this week you can expect some pictures. Friday night I attended a party at one of the other vintage houses in Blenheim. Saturday I got a ride into town to do some major grocery shopping. I was in heaven! It is a 20 minute drive to the nearest real grocery store. I stocked up on so much food because our little grocery store here in Renwick is comparable to shopping for groceries at Walgreens. I spent the entire day eating, uploading pictures online and relaxing. Today five of us went for a bike ride and did some wine tasting in our area. It was sunny and beautiful.

All of my headaches have disappeared and I feel great! I have learned that I need to relax a bit more and enjoy my free time more. I miss everyone a lot and will have more stories to post later this week.

Love,
Becky

I love WI-FI

Great news everybody! We finally have broadband and WI-FI! This is my best day in New Zealand yet. I just finished my second week of work at Delegat's. The grapes aren't quite ready yet, so we have done a lot of socializing, cleaning and standing around. It is great here. I will write a more in-depth post tomorrow. As they say here Sweet As!

Becky