That's a quote from Eugene Peterson's translation of Psalm 37:20. And the photo above is the last, lonely cluster left in Abby's block at Coeur de Terre. The harvest hands are good, but every once in a while they miss one. I took a similar photo of these vines two days ago, and they were loaded with fruit. Now you are lucky to find one solitary cluster.
Harvest happens quickly. The other morning I showed up to help sort fruit and the Winery Block had already been picked clean by the time I got there. The light was amazing with the sun just peaking up behind the grapes sitting in the bins at the ends of the rows.
Last night I got to do one of my favorite things--sit at the vineyard and watch the sun set while drinking a fantastic bottle of wine. I was kind of sad about the vineyards being "stripped bare" but Scott said it makes him feel good. He's been sitting on an emotional roller coaster of sugar levels and weather reports, and it must be a terrific relief to have the fruit harvested and safely in the winery.
It's a time you can sit on a chair and relax and tell stories, and enjoy some gorgeous Pinot Noir, wine that your own hands have helped to create. There aren't many times in my daily work that I can do that, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy working at crush. It's sticky hard work, but it creates something so beautiful. There just aren't enough beautiful things in the world, and we are called to slow down and notice them, drink them in and enjoy.
