I had my earliest harvest in Spain this year. We picked on September 5th. Ordinarily, harvest averages within a few days of September 23rd. Because we were able to irrigate, we had a good crop. I ended up with 6300 kilos which was a little more than last year.
Almost all the farmers around here ended up with 25-50% of a normal crop because of the drought. All of the irrigation reservoirs dried up early in the spring. My irrigation comes from a well. Sometimes even a blind hog finds an acorn!
Josep Maria brought ten pickers so the work went well. I ended up with the ripest fruit I've ever had here. There is fabulous depth and color in the wine. I did fewer pump-overs to keep from over extracting. We pressed on September 15th. It's looking good, y'all!
My baby garnachas. Most of them are way over the top of the stakes. We'll start the head-trained, spur-pruned regimen next year.
Marc managing the vertical basket press. They used the must pump this year to get the must into the press. What an improvement! Formerly, we used buckets that had to be dumped by hand into the press. Some vigilance is required when using the must pump for this. If the must hose becomes clogged, it will explode and fling grapes into outer space.
Another crop in the barn.
The vineyards look fantastic.
Montse and me at the Sardinada. She's a wonderful person!
Cookin' em up. That fire is really hot.
My official sardine cooker gets used once a year. In order to do this properly, pan catala must be prepared to put the cooked sardine on. Pan catala is bread cut lengthwise then smeared with raw garlic then smeared with tomato then doused with olive oil. If they catch you doing this out of sequence, you will be chastised.
My plate is in the foreground. This is the way it's supposed to be done. Open face sandwiches on pan catala. Most people will roast their onion. I like it raw because it acts like a foil to the intense fish. The sardines are salt cured so that, in addition to the olives, you get a month's worth of sodium in one meal. The fresh sweet grapes and the wine help cleanse the pallet every so often. Not pictured is the coffee and liquor for dessert. Multiple bottles will appear on each table. I always have to go home and lie down afterward.
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