5. Monty's months of hard graft will be wasted if the critics pan his wine
5. Monty's months of hard graft will be wasted if the critics pan his wine (Image 5 of 8)
‘What about bottling?’ Bill asked.
‘I’ll bottle it next March,’ I said. ‘Unfiltered, of course, and
under the right lunar constellation.’
‘I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, dear boy,’ said
Bill, politely containing his impatience.
This was the moment of truth. I very gently opened the
bottom valve on the tank to fill two glasses, knowing that if I
opened the valve even a fraction too much the pressure of the
wine would send me flying across the winery floor as if I had
been hit by a water cannon. As Bill took the glass, notebook in
hand, I suddenly realised just how powerless I was as a
winemaker, despite the effort and often physical pain of
managing the vineyard for the last year, the constant stress
about what the weather would bring, and whether the boar
would leave me any grapes to pick.
It made me understand how
powerful I had been leading the easier life of a critic. Bill was
free to judge my wine in any way he wanted, to make some
notes, and go back to England to pass the word around that my
wine was either a hopeless non-starter or a promising
commercial proposition.
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