Tuesday, 6 February, 2007
Jordan Wines
Tuesday 30th January
It seemed like I had only just fallen asleep when the alarm buzzed me awake at 3.00 am.
For a split second I hated Sauvignon Blanc! Why does its fragile chemical make-up have to differ so much from other varieties? Why does it have to be so sensitive to warm harvesting conditions? Then the excitement of the early morning harvest shook me wide awake and I drove up the hill to meet Ted at block M1.
The sky is clear and the stars bright as the harvester fans rev and the shakers start removing the berries from the tightly packed bunches. I find myself humming the lyrics to Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ ... ‘Look at the stars, look how they shine for you’...
By the time I get back to the cellar, Sjaak and Tim have arrived and are already halfway through pressing the last load of yesterday’s Sauvignon Blanc. Flavour-wise we had decided to leave this press overnight to give the Sauvignon Blanc some extra skin contact.