- Wine is farming. It is hauling. It is sanitizing and resanitizing equipment. It is hard work.
Remove those beautiful, grape-stomping virgins from your mind. Same goes for the hunky young winemaker walking through the vineyard, pensively swirling a glass of something garnet.
As thousands of California winery workers currently working the harvest can confirm, wine may have a glamorous, worldly image, but there is nothing even remotely fancy about making it.
Wine is farming. It is hauling. It is sanitizing and resanitizing equipment. It is hard work, and we're here to remind you that these are the images you should conjure up the next time you enjoy a glass of wine.
The 4 a.m. wake-up call: To ensure optimal ripeness, grapes must be picked when they are cold. In hot regions, such as Napa and Paso Robles, that often is at ungodly hours when the rest of the world is asleep. Some large wineries pick by lamplight before dawn.
For more, see: The five least glamorous aspects of winemaking
