All quiet for Halloween

October 31st, 2012 | Post Harvest

It’s nearly a month since the end of the harvest and the majority of fermentations are either finished or nearing an end. As far as we are concerned this means that life in the bodega will pretty much return to normal for at least another 10 or 11 months. I probably mention it every year, but one of the major differences that we notice will be the silence that falls over the bodega….. it truly is golden. 

During the harvest itself we have the constant drone of the presses, as they work for most of the day and into the night. Following this (once the fermentations get under way), we have the persistent humming of the extraction fans as they circulate fresh air throughout the bodega. Just in case you had forgotten, one of the most significant (and dangerous) by-products of the fermentation process is carbon dioxide, which falls quickly from the open tanks and settles at ground level. Without the fans constantly moving the air we would be overcome very quickly. Sometimes simply standing near an open tank can take your breath away as you inhale a little CO2 – it can be an unsettling experience when you take a breath and there is simply no oxygen to fill your lungs.

It is perhaps quite fitting that on All Hallow’s Eve and tomorrow, the Day of the Dead (1st November), that the Bodega will be eerily silent once more.

It’s nearly a month since the end of the harvest and the majority of fermentations are either finished or nearing an end. As far as we are concerned this means that life in the bodega will pretty much return to normal for at least another 10 or 11 months. I probably mention it every year, but one of the major differences that we notice will be the silence that falls over the bodega….. it truly is golden. 

During the harvest itself we have the constant drone of the presses, as they work for most of the day and into the night. Following this (once the fermentations get under way), we have the persistent humming of the extraction fans as they circulate fresh air throughout the bodega. Just in case you had forgotten, one of the most significant (and dangerous) by-products of the fermentation process is carbon dioxide, which falls quickly from the open tanks and settles at ground level. Without the fans constantly moving the air we would be overcome very quickly. Sometimes simply standing near an open tank can take your breath away as you inhale a little CO2 – it can be an unsettling experience when you take a breath and there is simply no oxygen to fill your lungs.

It is perhaps quite fitting that on All Hallow’s Eve and tomorrow, the Day of the Dead (1st November), that the Bodega will be eerily silent once more.

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