Old West said, "Xia, these are the most perfect oak barrels I've seen in my decades of work. I don't think there's anything better than this! Old Carl's skills in hoops and the top-grade oak wood you provided are a perfect match! "
Xia Ruofei smiled and asked, "Uncle West, does this mean that these barrels meet the standards?"
Old West said with an exaggerated expression, "Of course! Old Carl's unique logo must have been imprinted on them after strict monitoring! "
This was equivalent to a brand of Carl's. Old Carl would be fully responsible for all the barrels with this logo.
"That's great! Uncle West, I want two of the barrels. The remaining four barrels can be used at the winery! " Xia Ruofei said happily. "Uncle Carl's barrel production fees can be paid from the winery's account!"
Out of Xia Ruofei's expectations, Carl said without hesitation, "Xia, I'll make these barrels for you for free! As long as you can still let me process these wood next year! And I'll also give you a discount on next year's barrel production fees! "
Xia Ruofei smiled and said, "Uncle Carl, Uncle West trusts your skills so much. I'll definitely let you make the barrels next year. But you still have to pay for these six barrels. That's a separate matter! We have an old saying in Huaxia: Even blood brothers settle their accounts clearly! "
Xia Ruofei did not wait for Carl to decline and signaled Old West to write the check.
For a top-notch barrel maker like Carl, even if Xia Ruofei provided the raw materials for him to process, the production fees were still very high. It was even more expensive than buying oak barrels from the market. But Xia Ruofei naturally did not care about this small amount of money.
The production fee for each barrel was 300 Australian dollars. Old West quickly wrote a check for 1800 Australian dollars and handed it to Carl.
Seeing this, Carl did not decline and happily accepted the money. He also repeatedly reminded Xia Ruofei to let him handle the orders next year.
After Carl drove away, Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing admired the barrels that Old West called "works of art" for a while.
The two of them were amateurs. They looked and touched the barrels here and there, but could not see anything special. They only felt that the workmanship was really good. One look and they could tell that it was something of high quality.
Old West actually wanted to leave all six barrels behind, especially when Xia Ruofei wanted to take away two barrels of grape juice. His heart ached even more.
The quality of this year's grapes was exceptionally good. In Old West's eyes, Xia Ruofei taking away two barrels of grape juice would only result in wasting them all. To Old West who had devoted himself to the winery business, this was simply a crime!
But Xia Ruofei was the boss! Not to mention taking away two barrels, even if he wanted to pour all of this year's grape juice into the gutters, Old West could not stop him!
Therefore, when Xia Ruofei suggested that they should prepare two buckets of grape juice, Old West resigned himself to his fate and stood up to make the arrangements.
Just then, Madam Cabelli came over with Old West's phone. "Hey! Your phone call! It's from Golden Oak Winery! "
Old West took off his gloves and said to Xia Ruofei, "Xia, wait a moment. I need to take this call!"
Xia Ruofei smiled and nodded.
After Old West took the phone, he walked to the side to take the call. After a while, he came back with the phone and said, "Xia, I'm very sorry. There are some matters at Golden Oak Winery that I need to deal with. I'll get Cabelli to pack the grape juice that you want!"
Xia Ruofei asked with concern, "Is there a problem at Golden Oak?"
"Not really. The workers found that a batch of grapes that are about to be harvested is a little special. I have to go and take a look immediately." Old West smiled casually and even had a hint of anticipation. "Maybe it's a good thing!"
Xia Ruofei was even more interested when he heard that. He said, "Why don't I go and take a look too? The grape juice can be packed anytime! "
Old West said straightforwardly, "Of course, no problem. You're the boss!"
Xia Ruofei smiled and said to Feng Jing, "How about it? Sister Jing, let's go to Golden Oak Winery together? "
Feng Jing smiled and nodded. She mimicked Old West's tone and said, "Of course, no problem. You're the boss!"
Xia Ruofei could not help but roll his eyes and said, "You're happy to be mischievous, aren't you?"
Feng Jing laughed.
The group got into Old West's old Horton sedan and drove to Golden Oak Winery.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Golden Oak Winery, which was also located in the Hunter's Valley.
Compared to West's winery, Golden Oak Winery was much bigger and had a much newer building. It was like the difference between an old landlord and a long-term worker.
Before it was transferred to Xia Ruofei, Golden Oak Winery was one of the top wineries in the Hunter's Valley. West's winery could not be compared to it.
However, now that the winery was under the Xia name, Robinson, the owner of Golden Oak Winery, who was full of superiority in front of Old West, had to accept the fact that the winery he was once proud of was now under Old West's management.
Old West drove the car directly to the vineyard, and the three of them got out and walked in.
Golden Oak Winery's vineyard was several times bigger than West's. It occupied two hills and a valley. Rows of Semillon vines that were replanted last year were neatly arranged and stretched into the distance. It was a magnificent sight.
A worker was waiting at the entrance of the vineyard. When he saw Old West and the others, he immediately came to greet them.
Xia Ruofei also recognized this worker named Harrison, because Harrison used to be an employee of West's winery. He was one of Old West's more capable workers and had a lot of experience in growing grapes. Therefore, Old West had specially sent him here to be in charge of the grape harvest.
"Harrison!" Old West asked as soon as he came up, "Where are those vines?"
"Uncle West, you'll see them once you go over this hill. That area was supposed to be harvested in these two days," Harrison said.
"Let's go! Take us there! "Old West said.
As they walked, Xia Ruofei asked, "Uncle West, is there a problem with the grapes?"
Old West smiled and said, "It's fine. It shouldn't be a bad thing. We'll know once we get there."
Under Harrison's lead, the group followed the small path and went over the hill. Soon, they arrived at the area that Harrison had mentioned.
Xia Ruofei's eyesight was very good. He immediately saw that the grapes in this area were a little different from what he had seen in the past few days.
These grapes were a little shriveled, and their color was no longer golden. Instead, they were reddish-brown. There seemed to be some ugly spots on the grape skin.
Xia Ruofei's first reaction was that the grapes were rotten. He thought it was a pity, but at the same time, he felt a little guilty. He thought that Old West might have delayed the harvest of the grapes in order to wait for him to come to Australia. Furthermore, Golden Oak Winery's grape plantation scale was very large, so there was no time to harvest the grapes.
What surprised Xia Ruofei was that when Old West saw these ugly grapes, he quickened his pace as if he had found a treasure. He almost pounced on them.
Then, he got very close and carefully observed them. He plucked a shriveled grape and looked at it over and over again. In the end, he even put the grape in his mouth and chewed it. Then, he swallowed it along with the skin, not caring whether it was dirty or not.
Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing felt a little disgusted when they saw this. There was a layer of mold on the grape skin! Wasn't this a little too hardcore?
Old West and Harrison looked at each other and said, "That's right! It's the noble rot mold! I'm familiar with this smell! "
Harrison was also very excited when he heard this. He said, "Uncle West, the grapes in this large area are all like this. Does that mean … the winery is going to be rich this year?"
Old West laughed and said, "I think Boss Xia will be very happy to hear this news!"
Xia Ruofei was confused. He asked, "Uncle West, are these grapes rotten? Didn't we lose a lot of money? Why did Harrison say that we're going to be rich? "
Feng Jing also found it hard to understand. The grapes in this large area had become like this. It was obvious that they couldn't be used anymore. Why was Old West still so excited? It was as if he had gone out to pick up money.
Old West laughed heartily and said, "Xia, these grapes aren't rotten. To be precise, they're infected with mold!"
Xia Ruofei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Isn't that the same thing? They can't be used anyway. We can only let them rot on the tree! "
Old West waved his hand and said, "No! no！ no！ Xia, these grapes can not only be used to make wine, but they can also make the best noble rot wine! "
Xia Ruofei was a newbie in the wine industry. He didn't have any special interest in wine tasting, so he didn't know what noble rot wine was.
After Feng Jing heard this, her eyes couldn't help but light up. She asked, "Uncle, you mean … the expensive noble rot wine is made from these grapes?"
Old West laughed and beckoned Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing to come closer to the grape tree. He pointed at the grapes and said, "Look, the surface of these grapes is infected with mold. It's the noble rot mold. Only white grapes infected with this mold can make noble rot wine!"
Old West was in a very good mood, so he excitedly introduced the noble rot wine to Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing. "Apart from the high sweetness of noble rot wine, it also produces glycerin that makes the taste smoother and has a special aroma, such as the rich aroma of dried fruits, honey, raisins, and noble rot. Noble rot wine is known as' liquid gold, 'and was once praised by Louis XIV of France as' the wine of the king, the king of wines. '"
"That's amazing!" Xia Ruofei couldn't help but say in surprise, "These grapes don't look like they can make wine at all …"
Old West laughed and said, "That's why noble rot wine is called 'the surprise in the ashes!'"
When Xia Ruofei heard this, she felt that it was quite appropriate. These originally juicy grapes had long lost their moisture and become shriveled. The color was also very ugly, just like ashes.
Old West then explained the origin of noble rot wine to Xia Ruofei and Feng Jing. The two of them couldn't help but click their tongues in wonder.
Many beautiful things often originated from accidents, and noble rot wine was a typical example.
According to legend, in the grape harvest season of 1650 AD, the grape farmers in Tokayi delayed the harvest until November due to the disaster of war. The grapes that were picked late became dry and even covered with a layer of mold. However, winemakers who didn't have fresh grapes to use had to use moldy grapes to make wine. Unexpectedly, the wine that year was full of fragrance. The sweet fragrance of honey, flowers, and preserved apricots was refreshing. The wine was full, had high acidity, and was sweet but not greasy. It was very tempting.
The accidental delay in harvest brought about a new fate for the Tokayi noble rot wine, and it went on to glory.
The color of noble rot wine was like gold, and the price was like gold. The 1811 noble rot wine of Chateaud's Chateau Gold was auctioned at a high price of 117,000 dollars per bottle, and the 1787 noble rot wine of Chateau Gold was auctioned at a high price of 100,000 dollars. Even the most common noble rot wine was worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Such a high price was due to the harsh conditions for the formation of noble rot grapes.
For example, a humid mist in the morning was conducive to the growth of noble rot fungi, which would drill small holes in the grape skin. Then, a hot and dry weather in the afternoon would suppress the excessive growth of noble rot fungi and prevent it from developing into a malignant gray mold. At the same time, the dry and hot environment would evaporate the moisture in the fruit through the small holes, increasing the sweetness, flavor concentration, and acidity of the grapes.
At the same time, this situation had to occur on the ripe grapes, or else the noble rot would develop into gray mold.
In addition, the production cost of noble rot wine was very high. It had to be picked by hand, and the fermentation time was very long. Coupled with the low production rate, it was easy to attract birds to eat it, so it was reasonable for the price to be high.
After listening to the introduction, Xia Ruofei knew that the climate of the Hunter Valley wasn't suitable for the formation of noble rot grapes. Old West felt that it was an unexpected blessing from God that they could produce such a large area of noble rot grapes.
Old West laughed. "Originally, these grapes were going to be harvested as soon as they ripened, but because Xia was delayed for two days in Saipan, the whole harvest plan was pushed back a little. I didn't expect such a surprise after the delay!"
Xia Ruofei smiled and said: "Originally, I felt quite guilty in my heart! But now, it seems that a bad thing has turned into a good thing! "
Feng Jing pursed her lips and smiled. "It seems that wherever Ruofei is, there will always be all kinds of miracles. We're already used to it!"
Old West laughed heartily. Then, he immediately got Harrison to organize people to prepare to harvest these precious grapes.
The noble rot grapes had to be picked manually because not the whole bunch of grapes would be infected with noble rot fungi, so they had to be picked one by one. This was a very delicate job that had to be done by experienced workers. Old West also had to check on the spot.
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