During harvest, it can be difficult to remember to eat healthily and regularly. It can be hard to even get laundry done and bills paid sometimes! All of us depend a lot upon the other members of our families at this time to keep daily life together.
Our suppliers know that this is an intense time of the year for us as well. Though we generally don't have time for sales calls during harvest, many of them instead make an effort to take care of us - bringing by harvest tee shirts, lunch, cold beers (though I have way too many guys here at EOS to set a precedent of letting them have a beer at work,) and generally showing their appreciation for our business.
This week, we ate particularly well! First, early in the week, Gary Kroll of World Cooperage brought by fantastic Pizza for the entire crew - not sure where it came from, but the crust was perfect and crispy, with sesame seeds around the edge and really good quality toppings. I particularly loved the Jalepeno & cheese pizza!
On Wednesday, the guys from NomaCorc (a synthetic cork that we use for several projects and client wines,) came by with a BBQ feast on wheels! NomaCorc is headquartered just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina - an area that knows a thing or two about BBQ! Wes Ward, the technical sales director for the company, shipped his custom-built, cork-shaped BBQ smoker all the way out from NC and has been spending a couple weeks going from winery to winery, treating them to authentic, 10-hour roasted, pulled-pork North Carolina goodness! Christened the "NomaQue" it is a pretty cool contraption, with built in storage, cooler, and grill all on a tidy trailer.
Donna, the wife of our Cellar Master Dave, has agreed to bring us a healthy, filling lunch every Thursday through harvest. She started this week with delicious, home-made lasagnae for the crew, along with fresh vegetables, green salad, drinks and dessert. Next week is pulled-pork sandwiches, with a full schedule to follow! The love and care that she puts into this is appreciated greatly, and the crew really looks forward to this each year.
Year-round, our favorite, nearby places to dash out for lunch are the excellent restaurant at Hunter Ranch Golf Course where the Kobe Burger and Cobb Salad are perennial hits. And if you really need a decompression break, and excellent small plates, check out Cass Winery, tucked back in a canyon on Linne Road. They have a full kitchen, and a trained chef Brendan, who turns out great stuff. (As an added bonus, nobody seems to get cell phone reception out there!)
I am planning to organize BBQ for the guys on Saturdays, once we get into 7-days a week harvest. It is good to mark the passage of the week and build some comraderie. The winery has an old, but useable Santa Maria-style BBQ pit trailer, and we always grill on used wine stave wood from barrels that are past their useful service life - they burn hot and impart delicious French oak smoke to the meat. Plus we have some pretty capable pit-masters on staff here, and this can be a chance to let them shine!
More harvest photos here
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