January 23, 2012
A day in the life of an intern
We’ve enjoyed having two interns for the month of January from Augustana College in South Dakota. Read below as they share their experiences from a day of blending their very own wine.
I made my own wine today! Bay took us to the winery, set up what looked like a chemistry lab with glasses and funnels and cylinders, and guided us on how to blend our very own wine. We were given four different wines to taste separately – Louer Cabernet, Shooting Star Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah. We took notes on what each smelled and tasted like. I personally put faces next to my overall feelings about each wine – 
… 
… 
A very scientific system, I know.
We were given a brief write up description of each varietal and instructions as to what we were would be doing. Bay covered the rest…so the tasting began…ok here’s what my personal thoughts were:
- Louer Cabernet =
- Shooting Star Cabernet =
- Cabernet Franc =
- Petite Sirach =
Next, Bay gave us a few suggestions as to what the proportions should be that we blend together based on our preferences of each individual wine. He emphasized being creative and “just going for it”, so that’s what I did. Here is a Trial 1 for your viewing pleasure:
- % Louer Cabernet = 15
- % Shooting Cabernet = 45
- % Cabernet Franc = 20
- % Petite Syrah = 20
Now the job was to use our graduated cylinders and funnels to measure the accurate milliliters of wine. After pouring the precise proportions of each varietal into an empty glass, I took the first sip. Hmmm…pretty tasty…A little dryer than I’d like, so Bay suggested decreasing the percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. Here’s Trial 2:
- % Louer Cabernet = 15
- % Shooting Cabernet = 60
- % Cabernet Franc = 10
- % Petite Syrah = 15
Swirl, swirl, swirl…sniff….ooo la la! Smooth, chocolate, coffee, mocha…o goodness gracious that is a beautiful smell! Sip…well now I don’t know…not as smooth as I had anticipated and much more earthy than I can handle. Time to tweak the measurements a little more. Trial 3:
- % Louer Cabernet = 5
- % Shooting Cabernet = 65
- % Cabernet Franc = 10
- % Petite Syrah = 20
Hello, my masterpiece! This one went down as smooth as silk and smelled delightful…we have found the winner! Now time to bottle…We poured each percentage of wine into a much larger graduated cylinder. From there, the vino went into it’s beautiful unmarked bottle. Bay helped us fill it the appropriate amount, and then we even got to cork our own bottle! Then came the tricky part…naming our blend. After much thought, deliberation, and frustration I finally named my blend “Will Intern for Wine”…seems fitting for the last (official intern) day of a wonderful experience
We helped Dani and the girls in the office a little in the afternoon while it poured outside. Later, we had the opportunity to go with Bay to an outside tasting at a hotel in Napa. He wasn’t sure what to expect, because wineries usually don’t do tastings at this particular hotel. I was excited to the see how this business venture would play out. We set up shop in the lobby area and let the people come to us. We had a great time chatting with people doing tastings and loving on Jessup’s wine…Bay provided us with much wisdom to take with us in our future.
Now time for some delicious supper…along with a glass or two of wine
Cheers!
