Like I mentioned before this week the whole vineyard was abuzz with it’s first salon du vin (wine faire) of the season. It’s a hive of activity and I am the only one who stops and that is to pull out my bite sized French dictionary to look up every third. The good part is that slowly but surely what they say is becoming actual words and not just sounds smushed together in a impossible hodgepodege of oo’s and uh’s and poo’s and puh’s. OK, who giggled when they read poo?
So I got ready to pitch in and do whatever necessary since my nose is broken, figuratively, I’m sick, which kills the whole drinking and learning wine aspect of this experience. Little did I know they would take my offer and run with it in a way I hadn’t expected because once again I was in the distillers area amongst huge kettles all the while wondering, “what in the hell am I back here for?” Well folks, it was suddenly now my task to strip, polish, and refurbish not only the copper but all the painted surfaces as well. Ah hell, how bad can it be, right? I mean polishing has to be way worse than the painting just like descende du bois has to be harder than bottling. I know I’ve referred to myself as an idiot before and I’ll do it again right here, and probably for the rest of my life for that matter.
In between paint strokes I was pushing around thousand pound stacks of booze destined for the wine faire. I’m getting a good work out and I’m still sick but I think all the work is helping me. I know I could sit down and watch my French game shows I miss already but what’s the point. I go to Paris next week and by looking at the truck we are taking it can’t be that bad and I doubt they salon du vin from early morn to night so I should be able to get to check out the city I miss so much.
It takes me three days to finish the alambics (liquor stills) and a fourth for touch ups, which is perfect timing since tonight is the start of the big to-do. I wish I had taken a picture before because the place looks amazing now. I just had no idea how much work I would be doing. It all sounded so simple in the beginning. I guess most things do, eh?
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