Grapes, then wine but not just yet!

The Trough of...well grapes!
Our forman, Giga's Grandfather
One down, 200 more to go!
Giga with some machira...yes, we drank it!

Hey All,
Written 14 September 2007.

Well, things here in Georgia have slowed down quite a bit…school doesn’t start for awhile, travel is restricted, and my continually promised internet access is….well, let’s just say it’s up there with “the check is in the mail” and “We’ll be greeted as liberators”! To use the internet, I have a 3 hour round trip to the nearest reliable site, which is why things have been a bit sparse these last weeks. This being said, I have tried to keep busy and the weather has been wonderful these past few days, so I really can’t complain much.
This week I went with Giga and helped my host granddad with the grape harvest and wine-making that is a Georgian tradition dating back…about 4,000 years. Georgians were making wine when the French were still running around in bearskins. The climate is great for it and you cannot separate Georgian culture from wine anymore than you can separate Barry Bonds from juicing! I’ve included a few pics that show Giga and I transferring machira, (grapes that have been fermenting about a week or so) to the final fermenting/aging barrel. The barrel in the picture holds about 250 liters of wine (about 62 gallons).
You may notice the fermenting “trough” and all the grape skins and other assorted non-soon-to-be-wine items. These grape skins etc. will not be wasted but will be distilled into cha cha, homemade vodka (another blog entry on this process will follow), but back to the machira. Machira has an alcohol content of about 5% (my guess, as no hydrometers are used in this process) and tastes like…..well, machira! In Georgia you must drink this as it is almost wine and therefore acceptable to imbibe. It’s OK, but it is no Willamette valley pinot noir! However, the company and being part of a tradition and craft that goes back so very far makes it a great experience.
Giga’s granddad is 81 years old and he and his wife still farm these 4 acres by themselves. 8 years ago, this man was hit by a train and flung 10 meters. Giga thought his grandfather was dead but 6 days later his granddad was on horseback, in front of Giga’s house, calling for him to come and work! Now whether the specifics of this tale are embellished or not, I cannot say, but he was definitely hit by a train and he is still moving pretty well today. This is representative of many of the elderly in this country…just the other day I had to grab a sack of wheat out of my bebia’s (grandmother) hands that she was carrying to the back shed. I swear it must have weighed 50 pounds! It truly is an amazing culture!
As I said, things are a bit slow right now and I thought I would re-post my phone number to those of you who may want to text or call me. There is a great web-site called www.skype.com where you can set up an account and call my cell directly from your computer for about 4-6 cents per minute. My number is 011 995 95149970. Georgia is 8 hours ahead of eastern time and 11 hours in front of Portland time. Curtis or Angela, if you are reading this, I have tried every combination of numbers possible to call you but can’t get through to London! So, call me and learn the future!! For those of you who have risked carpal tunnel syndrome punching so many digits, thank you! My world here is wonderful and I have many new friends but it is always good to hear from old friends!