Grape Harvest!!

Yesterday I went with Lenka to help one of her friends with the grape harvest.  It was AMAZING!  We each picked up a bucket and a pair of pruning scissors and joined Marco, Lucio, Carlo, and Andro in the vineyard (no heiresses yet, Clare and Angie).  

We cut the grapes off the vine - negro e blanco – with the shears,put them in buckets, dumped them (gently!) into bigger crates,which Marina took in her tractor to the shed

where they put them into a machine that removes the stems and filled a HUGE bucket with grape pulp. 

 

I was so scared that I was going to do something wrong and would ruin a whole batch of wine.  Something like, “Don’t drink the 2009 –that was a very bad year.  Oh right, that’s when the Americana came to help us.”  I felt so bad about wasting any grapes, but if they're not sweet, then you don't pick them - or you toss them on the ground.  You have to taste them to find out :)

 

We worked for about three hours, with help from a few more people, laughing, talking, cutting, and collecting.  Andro was the only Italian fluent in English, and though I was pulling out what I realize now is my not-so-limited Spanish, I thoroughly enjoyed everyone talking around me.  I love listening to people speaking Italian, especially when they are not worried about translating for me all the time.  I can pick out enough words to get the gist of what they are saying, and anyone who has been around Italians knows that at least half of what is being said is coming through facial expressions and gestures – I was laughing right along with them. 

 After that we had a huge Italian lunch with everyone that helped with the grapes.  Huge bowl of fresh, home-made pasta, egglant with red peppers, sausage, bread cheese, tomato and pepper salads – all fresh – so delicious.  (Sorry I didn’t get any pictures of the food Mocha!) Andro kept singing rock songs, and kept being told to stop.  When we were picking grapes, he said 'so I guess this is where the Rolling Stones got the idea for sticky fingers.'  But it was like steecky feengrs - precious.  And then when they were serving coffee after lunch, he broke out into, 'wack up, leetl suzeee, wack up' I almost peed in my pants.

 

I love these Italians so much.  Everyone was involved somehow in antiques - they are so smart and kind and full of life.  They were/are all part of this movement from the 70s to start communes - they came from the north of Italy and moved here to Tuscany/Umbria, bought land, and live from the earth.  I wish I could get across the feeling of how intelligent and sensitive of humanity they are -  honest, real, and reflective about human nature.

What a gorgeous day.