What a fabulous experience working in the vineyards of my ancestral home for the annual “BERBA”. “Berba” is the Croatian word for harvest. This is a 10 day period when the grapes are hand picked and the process of wine making begins!
I was so eager to, again, join my ancestral family in Croatia and work, side by side, in the vineyards with them to pick the crop of their livelihood.
“Berba” began earlier than usual this year due to a summer of very hot temperatures and little to no rain for 3 months. Usually, “Berba” starts October 1st – 10th. This year, it began September 18th. I arrived September 20th at 2pm. I was met at the airport and taken to Nezic Winery where I would stay for the next 2 weeks. I insisted on going to the vineyards after my meal of smoked ham, fresh cheese, homemade bread, tomato/cucumber salad and Tomindar. This is my favorite Nezic wine.
Everyone was in the vineyards and I hastily ate so I could join them. I had no fatigue or jet lag, probably due to my eagerness to get to the vineyards! My cousin, Dragica, who was preparing dinner for later, insisted I take a nap and rest. I wouldn’t hear of it. I was in the vineyards for only a couple of days last year and I wanted to fully participate. I was driven by car to 1 of the 4 vineyards that Nezic winery owns. This was the only time I was driven by car. Typical transportation to the vineyards is a good, old fashioned tractor ride! Days began with a large tractor pulling a large wagon with empty boxes and several workers and ended with several trips during the day with boxes loaded with grapes.
Croatia is a beautiful country, from its people to its culture to its landscapes. The hills are steep and the paths unpaved…and the amphitheatre settings awe inspiring!
What an especially spirited event this year as the harvest was so bountiful due to the perfect grape growing weather. I’ve never seen such quantity and quality in a harvest before! Some of the bunches were so big it took two hands to hold! I would delight in finding a bigger and better bunch multiple times throughout the day! Mother nature’s knowing is perfectly evidenced by the interlocking and interweaving of vines to support such heavy bunches. It was challenging to locate where to cut the bunches of grapes. The vines are so closely bound that often, following a vine would take you to the bottom, not the top of the bunch. The grape bunches used much area to find support from the vines. I was outsmarted multiple times by the grapes. I’m certain this was Mother Nature’s way of reminding me that “you can’t fool Mother Nature”. The vines and its fruits were a live work of art, recapitulating the wisdom of nature’s balance.
By the 3rd day in the vineyards, I considered myself an expert. I learned how to assess where the central vine was amongst its tributaries and with one snip, had four to five to sometimes eight to nine bunches. These robust grapes hung beautifully for easy clipping. Marveling at the beauty of this fruit of the vine, we clipped and cut and filled box after box of fresh, robust, juicy grapes.
Did I mention that eating the grapes while harvesting was mandatory? We got nourishment and could comment on the quality of the taste! This particular vineyard produced a variety of grapes for TOMINDAR, a blended wine. After a couple of days, I was able to identify the different varieties by taste!
I spent 5 straight days in this one vineyard along with several other adults harvesting grapes. It was hard work, very hard work as clipping the bunches of grapes must be done manually and must be done carefully. Most of the vines are 50-75 years old! When a vine is diseased, it is promptly removed and replaced with a new vine. Standing on steep hillsides, bending, kneeling, whatever it took to harvest the grapes, we did! Needless to say, I had a sore tired back and very dirty, sticky hands. Yet, when I stood up for a stretch and looked around, I was invigorated by some of the most panoramic views ever!
Of course, we ate well as my cousin, Dragica, would provide a lunch that was hearty, fresh and very nutritious. She baked everyday. Our meals, whether in the vineyards or at home, always offered desserts and not only one! Cheese strudel (my favorite), apple strudel, cherry strudel, kolache, raspberry cobbler, a chocolate gourmet cake with icing dripping down the sides topped with fresh cherries and more!
We usually took a 2 hour lunch, then back to work till 6:30 or 7pm. We had warm, sunny beautiful weather throughout “Berba”. The tractor ride home was scenic and the sense of fulfillment accompanying the large load of grapes was so satisfying!
Once home, a different type of work ensued. The grapes are unloaded in a machine that separates the stems from the fruit. This must happen right away, not after dinner or after a rest. Grapes are fragile and require delicate care, and of course, its a reciprocal relationship. We care for the grapes and the grapes offer us a tasteful, quality wine!
We do not have the beauty of the vistas in the wine cellar. We have boxes of grapes, machinery and huge oak barrels. A few of these barrels are over 50 years old and hold over 300 gallons! This work is laborious. Once the stems are removed, the grapes are placed in the wine press. This automation squeezes the juice out of the skins and, within an hour or two, the juice is transferred in the oak barrels to begin the fermentation process.
Now, we get to eat dinner, drink wine, sing and go to bed as morning comes quickly and the grapes are waiting!
Thank you for your interest!
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Cheers!
Winedivine
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