After a pretty chill day tasting Gruet sparklers and rolling out only about 300 miles (compared to 721 and 666 the previous two days, respectively), today I planned to put in another hard days work on the road but making sure to check out some of the sights Utah has to offer.  I have to give much appreciation and thanks to my good friend and fellow wine geek Jack Misiura in Atlanta who convinced me to take this route.  I had originally planned to book it across I-40 all the way to Barstow before heading north up the gut of California, however, Jack easily twisted my arm as he described some of the phenomenal natural wonders he had seen several times on previous trips.  There would be many more miles without proper cell phone coverage and very little in the way of human habitation, but it was well worth the additional 300+ miles it would add to my original trip plan.

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The light just after dawn was perfect for highlighting the deep reds and oranges in the canyons, cliffs and plateaus along the way to Monument Valley on highway 163.  My Dad informed me that many of the old westerns were filmed in this area.  It is vast and steep and really makes you feel small in this world.  The next 4 hours would set my mind adrift trying to completely understand these wonders of the world and how outside of my everyday life there is still vast space and monumental structures on this planet that are truly awe-inspiring to behold.

Once through Mexican Hat, UT I took a left onto 261 toward what is called the Moki Dugway.  As I turn I am immediately confronted by signs that warn of the steep grade, the gravel road and warnings not to take RVs, trailers and such on this route.  I may have just peed a little in my pants just then.  In just a handful of miles I am met by a wall of rock thousands of feet in height.  I look left and right and there is no way around.  I can only go up a steep grade gravel road with about 6 tight switchbacks with no rails on the edge of the road.  I will provide video of this later.  Needless to say, I survived.  What a rush!

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Next stop was Arches National Park just north of Moab.  Again, it is really difficult to truly fathom the size and majestic dominance of nature until you have witnessed it up close.  I drive away shaking my head in awe and talking to myself.  Much of the drive until I reach Salt Lake City is filled with the same types of expansive landscape views of plains, plateaus, canyons and mountains.  America has huge tracts of land… just waiting for you to experience!

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So, tomorrow is the homestretch for Santa Rosa, which equals another 522 miles — piece of cake, right.  The smell of grapes being pressed at Gruet had me salivating for the winery life, but I will have to wait a few more weeks and then some to wait for mother nature to complete her work on the grapes of northern California.  Only then will my trip be complete.

James Cagneyclaims he never actually said “Mmmm you dirty rat!” in his 1931 film Taxi!  But, I will claim it proudly come this harvest season in Sonoma as I get the pleasant opportunity to scrub tanks, clean barrels and help prepare and execute crush and fermentation at Holdredge Winesin Healdsburg, CA.  I owe a lot to John Holdredge for allowing me to work for him this Fall as I guess I am probably twice as old as most of his usual harvest interns.  The opportunity came as a surprise one day on Facebook when John noticed I was applying to win an opportunity to work with Lynn Penner-Ash in Oregon last November.  He reached out and said something to the effect of “If you don’t win this thing, you can come work for me.”

Then, in February, I called him on his proposal as I had just learned that my company was about to embark on a radical organizational change that was going to reduce everyone’s level of job security.  John is a witty and bold individual and gave me what I suspect is the usual schpeal about the overwhelming work involved and how only those entirely devoted to the wine industry should apply.  Of course, I am a devoted wine geek and just completed a winemaker certificate program from UC-Davis, so I was adamant about putting that book-learnin’ to actual use.  He and I came to agreement.

So, here I am.  Two months from being let go from said re-organization and about 3 weeks away from what I can only assume to be synonomous with the hell week I experienced as a neophyte in my college fraternity (only to have John state that it will be more like a month, than a mere week) and I cannot be more excited.  As many already know, the weather in the North Coast has delayed harvest an estimated 2-3 weeks, so early September will most likely be spent cleaning tanks and preparing the facility for the harvest activity.  But fear not, as it has been said more than once that it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine and I intend to uphold that legend.

John Holdredge

If you are not already familiar with Holdredge Winesthen you are truly missing out on some fantastic Russian River Pinot Noir.  If you are familiar with me at all, you know I love this grape and just recently coordinated a global Pinot Noir tasting via Twitter.  My wife and I met John (and have yet to meet his better half, Carri) last summer.  Though we caught him early when he was about to send some barrel samples to the lab, he was gracious and courteous to commence a tasting and give us some insight as to the bike route we should take that afternoon as we were going on a bike ride later.  He came highly recommended from Michael Bryan, owner of the Atlanta Wine School, and Atlanta is a market John visits regularly.

As a part of my journey, it is my desire to bring to you the behind-the-scenes look at harvest in a winery including the personalities that abound in such a hectic yet passionate environment.  If you are in the area, you must visit.  If you have any questions about the process, please ask.  It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it!

I know you’ve been watching the horrible scenes on CNN and you understand the situation is dire.  As a wine lover, here is how you can help:

PALATE PRESS: The Online Wine Magazine is teaming up with Brother, Can You Spare a Bottle? to turn wine into monetary aid for Haitian earthquake relief.  The idea is simple – contribute a bottle from your cellar, then bid on the resulting mixed cases. Some tremendous bottles have already been offered, from 1976 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese to a Methuselah (6.0 Liter bottle) of 2005 Rodney Strong Rockaway Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The generous contributions of wine lovers will all be turned directly into money for disaster relief. PALATE PRESS: The Online Wine Magazine will pay shipping and handling costs to deliver wines to the auction winners.

For more information please read Wine for Haiti at the address below and PLEASE spread the word:

http://palatepress.com/2010/01/haiti/