Xia Ruofei watched from the side with great interest. The workers skillfully spread out the baskets of grapes and carefully removed the grape stalks.
Carberry smiled and said, "Xia, the grape stalks contain a large amount of tannins, which will bring about a sour taste. So, to maintain the freshness of the wine, the grape stalks must be removed. We have always used the most traditional method to make wine. These are all done by hand. Although the efficiency is lower, the quality of the wine is much higher! "
Xia Ruofei smiled and nodded. "Yes, quality is the most important. My farm in China is also going for the premium route!"
Feng Jing also smiled and said, "Now, our country is promoting the spirit of craftsmanship. When I saw Uncle West making wine, I really felt the spirit of craftsmanship!"
Carberry laughed and said, "This method of making wine has been passed down for one or two hundred years. Now, many wineries have introduced advanced machinery, but West has been stubbornly insisting on the traditional method of making wine! Although the efficiency has decreased and the cost of labor has increased, he is not willing to change! "
"I have to give Uncle West a thumbs up!" Xia Ruofei smiled and said, "It is not good to rush for quick success in any line of work. Only when every detail is taken to the extreme can we make a truly premium wine!"
Some of the workers were focused on removing the grape stalks, while others were picking out the grape skins and putting them into high-temperature sterilized stainless steel containers. Every time a container was filled, someone would carry it into a small cold storage room next to the winery.
"Aunt Carberry! What are they doing? "Feng Jing asked curiously.
Madam Cabelli chuckled and said, "In order to extract the aroma of the grapes and the active ingredients in the skin, as well as to enhance the original freshness of the grape variety, we will soak the crushed grapes and grape juice under a temperature control before squeezing the juice. This will make the wine taste richer and rounder!"
"Oh! You have learned something new! "Feng Jing said with a smile.
"Feng, this process is actually very boring!" Carberry smiled and said, "The soaking process takes more than ten hours, and the earliest we can start is tomorrow. So … why don't you let Xia bring you to the vineyard?"
Xia Ruofei laughed and said, "That's good too! Oh yes, Aunt Carberry, are the grapes being harvested at the vineyard? Let's go and take a look! "
Madam Carberry shook her head and said, "No one is working at the vineyard right now!"
"Oh? Why is that? "Xia Ruofei was surprised.
Madam Cabelli smiled and explained, "White grapes are very sensitive to temperature. High temperatures will destroy the natural elegance of the white grapes and increase the risk of oxidation and microbial infection. Therefore, the harvesting time is usually in the wee hours of the morning, before the sun has completely risen. Also, you have to be very careful when harvesting and try your best to keep the fruit intact. "
"So troublesome?" Xia Ruofei said. "Then won't Uncle West have a hard time? You have to organize the grape harvest so early in the morning, and you have to brew wine during the day … "
"We're used to it. Every year, the grape harvest season is a little tough," Madam Cabelli said with a smile. "But it's also a great sense of accomplishment!"
"That won't do! Xia Ruofei said. "You're getting on in years. You can't stand working around the clock like this. You and Uncle West shouldn't get up so early!"
"Yeah! Madam Cabelli, "Feng Jing said." Your health is more important! "
Madam Cabelli smiled and waved her hand. "He won't feel at ease leaving it to others! Besides, we'll take care of our rest. During the day, we'll take turns to rest. Also, we sleep very early at night. It'll be fine when all the grapes are harvested. "
Xia Ruofei couldn't argue with her. He could only say helplessly, "Then hire more workers and harvest the grapes as soon as possible! Don't worry about the increased cost! "
Madam Cabelli smiled and said, "Xia, thank you for your concern. But the maturity of the grapes is different. The amount of grapes harvested each time is calculated. Adding more workers won't solve the problem! Don't worry! Although the two vineyards are harvesting at the same time this year, they'll be done in five days at most! "
"Alright! You have to rest well! "Xia Ruofei said.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Madam Cabelli said with a smile.
Xia Ruofei thought for a while and said, "Since there's no one working at the vineyard, we won't go over. Why don't … we help out too! "
Madam Cabelli was stunned for a moment, then said, "Okay! Come … I'll bring you to wash your hands and disinfect them … "
There wasn't much skill involved in harvesting the grapes. The only requirement was to be meticulous. Hence, Madam Cabelli wasn't worried that the two of them would affect the workers' progress.
After Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing washed their hands, they joined the team excitedly.
At first, Madam Cabelli was worried that they would be careless and not be able to clean the grapes. But after working with the two of them for a while, she was completely relieved.
The two of them were very meticulous. Although their efficiency wasn't as high as those experienced workers, the quality of their work was very high.
After Xia Ruofei got used to it for a while, his efficiency also increased. He quickly harvested the grapes and looked no different from those experienced workers.
For the entire morning, everyone was busy working. They processed more than half of the grapes that they harvested two days ago.
Xia Ruofei was worried that Feng Jing was tired, so he advised her to rest at the side. But Feng Jing insisted on working with everyone and refused to rest.
Seeing Feng Jing's sweaty face, Xia Ruofei couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
After the handiwork in the morning, he immediately poured a glass of water for Feng Jing. After blocking everyone's view, he secretly took out a few drops of flower petal solution from the space and dripped it into the water. Then, he gave it to Feng Jing.
"Sister Jing, drink some water!" Xia Ruofei said with a smile.
"Yo! Boss is serving me personally. Why do I feel so flattered! "Feng Jing said with a smile.
"Still joking? Hurry up and rest! Look at how tired you are … "Xia Ruofei said.
Feng Jing smiled and took the glass and gulped it down. Then, she winked at Xia Ruofei and said, "I'm not tired! Let's come again in the afternoon! "
"Don't try to be brave!" Xia Ruofei said. "Just rest at the farm in the afternoon …"
"I'm really not tired!" Feng Jing said. "I think it's quite interesting! Sitting in the office all day long in China, my cervical vertebrae and lumbar vertebrae are all strained. Occasionally doing physical work makes my whole body feel relaxed! "
Old West walked over and gave the two of them a thumbs up. "Xia, Feng, the two of you are already very good at removing jokes! Thank you for your help! "
Xia Ruofei shrugged and said, "Uncle West, if you want to say thank you, I should be the one thanking you! Auntie Cabello already told me that you guys have worked hard during this period! "
Old West laughed and said, "It's hard work, but the sense of accomplishment is very high! Xia, the grape varieties that you provided are really amazing! Not only did you produce grapes that completely meet the standards of wine making in the first year, but the quality is also higher than the Semillon grapes that I have seen in the past few decades! I can't wait to see what kind of quality the wine will be made from them! "
Feng Jing asked curiously in Chinese, "Ruofei, you provided these grape seedlings?"
Xia Ruofei smiled and said, "Yes! I happened to know a better type of Semillon grape, so I imported a batch to Hunter's Valley. Then I asked Uncle West to dig up all the original grapes and plant the new variety that I provided! "
"You're too daring!" Feng Jing said. "What if there's a problem with these grape trees? Wouldn't that delay it for a few years? "
Xia Ruofei shrugged and said, "Uncle West thought so too, but … hasn't it been proven now? These are indeed high-quality grape trees! "
After the two of them chatted softly for a while, Xia Ruofei said to the two of them, "Uncle West, Auntie Cabello, we'll go back to the farm first. We'll come back in the afternoon!"
"Let's eat here!" Auntie Cabello quickly said. "I'll make something delicious for you!"
"No, no!" Xia Ruofei waved his hand and said, "The farm is ready. We'll go back to eat!"
The two old people had been working so hard for the past few days. Xia Ruofei really didn't want to trouble them, because if the two of them stayed for dinner, Auntie Cabello would definitely prepare a sumptuous lunch. They were already so tired from work, how could he let them stay?
"Alright then!" Old West said. "But you can rest at the farm in the afternoon! You don't have to come over and help … "
Xia Ruofei laughed and pointed at Feng Jing. "I had planned that, but Sister Jing didn't want to! She likes the working atmosphere here! "
"Haha! Come on then! " Old West said happily. "But remember to rest. You can't work as hard as you did this morning!"
In the morning, Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing worked even harder than the workers. The two of them processed more than twenty baskets of grapes. Even Old West and his wife were secretly impressed.
"Got it!" Xia Ruofei said. "The sun is very strong in the afternoon. You should rest. Don't work too early!"
The two of them left West Winery and went back to Wonderland Farm for lunch.
At Wonderland Farm, Xia Ruofei saw the farm's full-time assistant manager, Daphra again. Although Liang Qichao tried to hide it, he could tell from some small details that Liang Qichao and Daphra were already together.
While helping to clean up the dishes, Xia Ruofei whispered in Liang Qichao's ear, "Good job, brother! You came to Australia to show off our country's strength! This Caucasian chick is pretty good. Think about how to get past your father and marry her! "
Liang Qichao said with a bitter face, "It's not even set in stone yet! Besides, you know how old-fashioned my father is … How could he agree to me marrying a foreign girl? Why don't you help me think of a way? "
Xia Ruofei laughed and said, "Sorry, I can't help! You should think of a way yourself! Haha … I'm going to take a nap! "
"Hey!" Liang Qichao called, but Xia Ruofei didn't stop. He quickly walked up the stairs. Liang Qichao was so angry that he threw the rag in his hand into the sink and said, "You're so disloyal …"
In the afternoon, Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing were still doing the boring work of peeling grapes with the workers.
By the time they finished processing all the grapes, the sky was already completely dark.
Xia Ruofei still declined the invitation of Old West and his wife for dinner. He took Feng Jing back to Wonderland Farm.
The next day, Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing arrived at West Winery early.
"Uncle West, don't tell me you're still peeling grapes today?" Xia Ruofei asked as soon as he saw him. "This work is so boring!"
West was organizing the workers to move the grapes they picked in the early hours of the morning into the warehouse. He laughed and said, "This new batch of grapes needs to be peeled as soon as possible, but Carberry will be in charge of this work. We've already soaked the grapes yesterday, so we can move on to the next step today!"
Xia Ruofei's eyes lit up. "That's great! When do we start? "
"Right away!" Old West said. "Come with me!"
Old West brought Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing to the winery's workshop. Although he insisted on using traditional methods to make wine, Old West didn't reject new technology. For example, in terms of hygiene, it was much better than the old ancestors from hundreds of years ago.
After going through a strict disinfection process, Old West allowed them to enter the workshop.
Old West put on rubber gloves and said, "Today, we'll start with the juice extraction process! This process must be done by experienced winemakers. Bill and the others are all old buddies! They'll come with me to extract the juice from the grapes that have been soaked in low temperature! "
Beside Old West, a few old workers with white hair smiled brightly at Xia Ruofei.
This time, Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing couldn't help. They just watched Old West and the others pour the grapes into a special container and then manually extract the juice. The grape juice would flow from the bottom of the container into a stainless steel barrel.
Old West said as he worked, "The process must be fast and avoid contact with the air as much as possible, because the oxygen in the air will cause oxidation, deterioration, and discoloration of the grape juice. At the same time, your movements must be very gentle. Otherwise, too much pressure may cause the grape skin to crack, releasing tannins and other substances, causing a bitter taste. "
Xia Ruofei nodded and said, "Looks like this process is quite crucial!"
"Haha! Xia, don't worry! We've been doing this for decades. There won't be a problem! "Old West said with a smile.
Old West and the others were very efficient. They finished processing the grapes from yesterday in half a day.
The workers moved the sealed stainless steel barrels of grape juice into a small cold storage room and neatly arranged them.
Old West said, "Xia, the grape juice still needs to be cooled down. Such large particles will be deposited at the bottom of the container. What we need to make wine is the supernatant liquid. We use it to ferment!"
"How long will it take?" Xia Ruofei asked.
Old West smiled and said, "It should be done by this time tomorrow! Nowadays, some wineries often use centrifuges to separate the grapes for convenience. But this will also cause the yeast to be removed, so artificial yeast has to be added. "
Xia Ruofei laughed and said, "I know. For Uncle West who insists on traditional craftsmanship, this is absolutely intolerable!"
"Hahaha!" Old West laughed heartily. "Yes! This kind of innovation is wrong! They can say that I'm old-fashioned and conservative, but I insist on my own views! "
"I like old-fashioned and conservative like you!" Xia Ruofei gave him a thumbs up and smiled. "Then … we'll come again tomorrow!"
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