TimeStamp: Fall Day
Believe it or not, crushing grapes into liquid actually involved the feet of employees. Of course these said ‘feet’ are thoroughly washed right after the grapes are thoroughly washed. This was the part of wine making that Syrah found to be the most fun, but also the most unsanitary part of wine. She was always torn between stepping on grapes or opting out for the other job her father had for her. When she was young crushing grapes was what she did in her spare time after school in the fall. She didn't have any friends to actually play with, like other children did. Instead she had other workers, helping her out and being nice and playing with her in the grapes. That was all she really needed.
As she grew, and started to drink they wine, she never forgot the fun she had, but realized how unsanitary it could be. The Winery, even such a large, successful one as the Bluevein, had limited technology. The only kind of machine other than feet stepping they had to crush grapes was a large, rough stone (washed of course) on top of a large bowl that when turned manually would crush the grapes into a finer liquid. This mechanism was used mainly for crushing the seeds and skin of grapes that could not be liquefied by feet for red wine. This process was also much harder and longer than the feet.
Crushing grapes to push out their liquid was rough, but simple work. Syrah had her brown leather pants rolled up to her knees, feet bare and forehead sweating. She stood in a large wooden barrel, about 5 people across and only a foot deep. This barrel contained a whole bunch of ripe albino grapes that other worked kept pouring in. There were two other workers in this barrel with her, two large Akalaks who were, obviously, quicker and more efficient at this type of work than her. Probably because they were naturally so much stronger than her, Syrah being both female and human. Even if Syrah had been doing this type of thing her whole life, the only thing that came out of it was a simple process she walked herself through during this. It was truly simple and she was sure other workers and adapted their own kind of walkthrough.
Step, step, curl the toes, step, step, move, step, step, swish grapes, step, step, curl. It was almost hypnotizing. But it could also being very boring.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
This was tiring and each employee was rotated out every ten minutes for harvesting. They were all working, all of the time. Harvesting just used the arms and stomping used the feet. It was really a workout and one could gather some serious leg and arm muscles.
Soon enough another Akalak jumped into the barrel and gestured Syrah out. She gently hopped out and stepped into a small wash bin, to rinse her feet. Looking down at the bin she saw she wasn’t the first person who used this batch, it was almost black. So she picked up the bin and poured it out into the soil, closest to the nearest grape vine. This water would actually fertilize the soil. What with the grape nutrients that were transferred from her feet into the water. After pouring out the dirty water it was only her duty to refill the bin and replace it for the next awaiting worker. Which is what she did and then swiftly picked up a large wicker basket next to the grape barrels to go and collect grapes.
Holding the basket in one arm, on her hip she headed out to the albino grape part of the Vineyards. Arriving she saw many other employees, mainly Akalaks and humans, working in every section of the vineyard. The albino grapes just happened to be where Syrah was working, but all grapes were being harvested and stomped today. Today was the beginning of the harvest.
Reaching her assigned plot she set down her basket on the soft soil and gripped the large knife out of the bottom. Testing it in her hand, she gripped it and took hold of a bunch of grapes. Placing her knife under the stem she pulled up on her arm and held onto the bunch as it was cut loose from the mother vine. Dropping this bundle down into the basket, it bounced and settled. She took hold of another. Doing this over and over, slowly moving from vine to vine, moving the basket each time so it was right under her. Placed the knife under the stem, pull and drop. Grapes were not as delicate as one may think. Maybe if the grapes were to be sold raw she would have took better care of them, instead of dropping them four feet. But these were going to be crushed anyway so one little bruise wouldn’t matter. Place the knife under the stem, pull and drop. Just like stomping the grapes, cutting them was memorized.
Place the knife, pull, cut and drop.
Place the knife, pull, cut and drop.
Place the knife, pull, cut and drop.
Once the basket was full she would haul it back up into her arms. Staggering a bit from the weight, and carry it, with two arms this time, back to the barrels. Passing other workers doing the same and dump the basket in the barrel, adding to the work of the crushers.
A couple more rounds on the harvesting and she’d be back to crushing.
OOCI know, I know, not very long or informative or anything, just needed to pop out antoher job thread before the end of the season.
As she grew, and started to drink they wine, she never forgot the fun she had, but realized how unsanitary it could be. The Winery, even such a large, successful one as the Bluevein, had limited technology. The only kind of machine other than feet stepping they had to crush grapes was a large, rough stone (washed of course) on top of a large bowl that when turned manually would crush the grapes into a finer liquid. This mechanism was used mainly for crushing the seeds and skin of grapes that could not be liquefied by feet for red wine. This process was also much harder and longer than the feet.
Crushing grapes to push out their liquid was rough, but simple work. Syrah had her brown leather pants rolled up to her knees, feet bare and forehead sweating. She stood in a large wooden barrel, about 5 people across and only a foot deep. This barrel contained a whole bunch of ripe albino grapes that other worked kept pouring in. There were two other workers in this barrel with her, two large Akalaks who were, obviously, quicker and more efficient at this type of work than her. Probably because they were naturally so much stronger than her, Syrah being both female and human. Even if Syrah had been doing this type of thing her whole life, the only thing that came out of it was a simple process she walked herself through during this. It was truly simple and she was sure other workers and adapted their own kind of walkthrough.
Step, step, curl the toes, step, step, move, step, step, swish grapes, step, step, curl. It was almost hypnotizing. But it could also being very boring.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
Step, step, curl, step, step, move, step, step, swish, step, step, curl.
This was tiring and each employee was rotated out every ten minutes for harvesting. They were all working, all of the time. Harvesting just used the arms and stomping used the feet. It was really a workout and one could gather some serious leg and arm muscles.
Soon enough another Akalak jumped into the barrel and gestured Syrah out. She gently hopped out and stepped into a small wash bin, to rinse her feet. Looking down at the bin she saw she wasn’t the first person who used this batch, it was almost black. So she picked up the bin and poured it out into the soil, closest to the nearest grape vine. This water would actually fertilize the soil. What with the grape nutrients that were transferred from her feet into the water. After pouring out the dirty water it was only her duty to refill the bin and replace it for the next awaiting worker. Which is what she did and then swiftly picked up a large wicker basket next to the grape barrels to go and collect grapes.
Holding the basket in one arm, on her hip she headed out to the albino grape part of the Vineyards. Arriving she saw many other employees, mainly Akalaks and humans, working in every section of the vineyard. The albino grapes just happened to be where Syrah was working, but all grapes were being harvested and stomped today. Today was the beginning of the harvest.
Reaching her assigned plot she set down her basket on the soft soil and gripped the large knife out of the bottom. Testing it in her hand, she gripped it and took hold of a bunch of grapes. Placing her knife under the stem she pulled up on her arm and held onto the bunch as it was cut loose from the mother vine. Dropping this bundle down into the basket, it bounced and settled. She took hold of another. Doing this over and over, slowly moving from vine to vine, moving the basket each time so it was right under her. Placed the knife under the stem, pull and drop. Grapes were not as delicate as one may think. Maybe if the grapes were to be sold raw she would have took better care of them, instead of dropping them four feet. But these were going to be crushed anyway so one little bruise wouldn’t matter. Place the knife under the stem, pull and drop. Just like stomping the grapes, cutting them was memorized.
Place the knife, pull, cut and drop.
Place the knife, pull, cut and drop.
Place the knife, pull, cut and drop.
Once the basket was full she would haul it back up into her arms. Staggering a bit from the weight, and carry it, with two arms this time, back to the barrels. Passing other workers doing the same and dump the basket in the barrel, adding to the work of the crushers.
A couple more rounds on the harvesting and she’d be back to crushing.
OOCI know, I know, not very long or informative or anything, just needed to pop out antoher job thread before the end of the season.
