Winter is On Down Under

The snow struck hard a couple days ago blanketing all of canterbury in 6-24 inches of snow in 24 hours.  Temperatures plummet and winds howl as the winter takes hold.  The more snow the better for me as I will soon be heading up the slopes for 3 months of winding my way way through the powder.  It was the day after the full moon that the clouds cleared the skies.  The day after the lunar eclipse and the transit of venus. Its to bad we missed out on those phenomenal events but we did have some magic of our own in the works.  Out into the night I went armed with a camera and makeshift tripod for a session of nighttime photography... my favorite type of photography.  With the moon glowing soft and the snow imitating I did my best to capture the serenity and silence of the place.

The next day I went back out with my camera.  It was a bit easier to take pictures when you do not have to worry about your fingers freezing off.  Below the Bees sleep for winter,  the Canadian Geese seem at home... though in the wrong hemisphere.

These last pictures were takes as the snow fell on that first day and before it had a chance to build up.

A Pressing Matter

Juices flowing (Charlotte Ferrier)

A few weeks ago we finished off the last of the work pressing grape skins for that extra bit of flavor and juice and then transferring the immature wine into oak barrels for maturation.  It will sit and soak in the barrels for the next year gaining complexity and character as it passes through malolactic fermentation and begins to take on a new aroma and flavors.  We will taste the barrels each week or two becoming familiar with the aging process and learning how a young, still closed off, Pinot Noir becomes one of the most highly sought after wines in the world.

We also went to visit our friends Mike and Claudia Weersing over at Pyramid Valley Wines to see how their wine was coming along.  They take every step necessary, with scientific precision, to ensure that the purity of their terrior remains wholly intact from the use of native yeasts to local clay and oak.  It is an impressive operation with 100% effort focused on quality. Mike has studied in france for 20 years and is now a Winemaker Guru of sorts offering a helping hand and what knowledge he can share with anyone keen to learn.

Keeping it clean. (Charlotte Ferrier)

Cedric and the "Antill Reserve" barrel. (Charlotte Ferrier)

However, back to Antill Estate...  I dropped into each tank for the last time to scoop out every bit of skin and lees i could find for the press.  Bucket by bucket the original 6 tons of grapes were converted to just over 3 tons of wine and a whole lot of left over skins which would then be used as fertilizer for the vines.  After squeezing out as much juice as you can from grape skins in the press you are left over with a grape skin cake... but dont be fooled.  It does not taste as good as it might look. In fact when I tried it, as I do, the skins were virtually tasteless.  All flavor had been extracted from them through fermentation and soaking, just another good sign of the potential quality in this years vintage.

Grape skin cake (Charlotte Ferrier)

He's so photogenic! (Charlotte Ferrier)

Oak barrels ready for filling. (Charlotte Ferrier)

Stomping grapes at Pyramid Valley, an inspirational pioneer in producing organic wine preserving true terrior character. (Charlotte Ferrier)

Clay pots used in place of oak barrels to preserve the pure terrior of Pyramid Valley Winery. (Charlotte Ferrier)

"Always carry a corkscrew and the wine shall provide itself"

~Basil Bunting~

Kiwi Watch

Last weekend I volunteered with The Nina Valley Restoration Group.  The group is lead by Hurunui College science teacher Tim Kelly, a young and enthusiastic teacher with a flare for inspiring excitement and motivation in his students.  In conjunction with the Departmernt of Conservation their aim is to restore the Nina Valley, located in the Lewis Pass, to its pre-european biodiversity.  This means controlling invasive mammals like Australian Possums, Stoats and Ferrets while facilitating recolonization of species like the Great Spotted Kiwi.  Tim and the children at Hurunui College get to head up the majority of this project by setting traps, rescuing Kiwis, and reintroducing some from other areas.  All of the Kiwi bird species are in decline and these efforts to save them from extinction have had great success though there is still a long way to go.

The native wildlife in New Zealand evolved with only a handful of predators, which allowed the animals to adapt in unique ways to their environment.  The Kiwi has no wings, well it does have a couple vestigial nubs but they are unseen and unused.  The Kakapo is a ground dwelling Parrot adapted to avoid arial predators but not mammals.  The Tuatara is one of the worlds most ancient still-living reptiles with three eyes.  All of these animals have suffered great losses since the introduction of mammals from mice to cats to deer to the most destructive; humans.  They are unable to compete in this interrupted environment so we are trying to increase their chances.

On this trip we checked and baited a couple hundred ferret/stoat traps. They have caught many invasive mammals this way and the environment is improving noticeably.

We also retrieved audio recording devices being used to count the number of kiwis in the Nina Valley so that they have a better understanding of their restoration effort's effects.  These devices were all located around 800-900 meters above the valley floor up densely vegetated slopes.  It was not easy going and I can not express how impressed I am with the positive attitudes and enthusiasm coming from everyone involved.

Stoat/Ferret Trap

After a strenuous day retrieving the recorders and baiting the traps we made it to the Nina Valley Hut to rest our weary legs and to dry out by the fire.  That night after some food had been cooked and a little energy restored we broke out the UHF receivers to track the kiwis that had previously been tagged and released in the area.  Eight kiwis have been reintroduced here over the last few years and most of their signals were readily identifiable. In fact a few were quite close to the shelter, no more than 100 meters away.  We could hear the high pitched males call being answered by the trilling whir of the female.  It was exciting for me to literally hear the progress that these kids had made and to see in them the knowledge and excitement of changing the world experienced by few people.

Nina Valley Hut

The rain had settled in overnight and the morning was gray and wet.  The streams had risen and the ground swelled.  Every step carried with it the sound of a swamp.  It was this morning that we were set on finding a Kiwi.  In the night these nocturnal birds forage about the forest floor finding worms and insects among the duff.  In the day they seek shelter within the natural burrows left from decayed logs and sinking earth.  We found two kiwi's signals close and in the same direction from the hut so off we went.  Slowly we closed in on their location until the signal indicated a hummock of log and moss in which they would both be hiding.

Scotty filming the kiwi

The Kiwis in their burrow

It was quite exciting to find a male and female kiwi, both tagged and introduced to the valley, hiding together in the same burrow.  This finding goes a long way to supporting the conclusion that the Nina Valley Restoration Group's efforts are making a difference and I am stoked to be helping them out.

Bird song recording device

All the water in New Zealand seems to be this pure

Greater Than Zero

Still too hard to sink.    (Janice Antill)

The 6 tons of handpicked grapes are now sitting in there vats bubbling away and slowly converting sugar to alcohol.  The color deepens and a leesy smell takes hold within the insulated container.  The Carbon Dioxide released during the ferment becomes so strong in the small space that it is enough to knock you out cold.  It is not uncommon for a vintner to accidentally end up head first in the brew after being overcome by the oxygen replacing gas.  We always stomp in pairs, just in case.  As the grapes get further along they require a heavier foot in the mix and eventually about half a body.  Twice a day someone must throw on a pair of toggs (swimsuit) and drop into the drink for a full on mash up of the floating berries.

Now the plunge  (Janice Antill)

A bit like the berries, I have come to New Zealand raw and ripe with potential.  Thrown into the pot here with the whole bunch I am looking for a way to convert that potential into something productive.  A few days ago,  and through the efforts of my wwoof host, I was given the chance to talk with a few classes at a local high school here.  I talked about where I had come from and why I love biology.  I gave them information on the work I had done in school and since graduation.  Most people are happy to talk about turtles and sharks but these were some very bright kids who wanted to quiz me on everything I had done from the Cyanobacteria lab to Alaska to wwoofing.  They were genuinely interested in it and all brimming with insightful questions and creative ideas.

(Janice Antill)

I regret only the things I have not done in my life.  One of the biggest is for never having pursued a teacher's assistant position while at the University of Oregon.  Now I have the chance to try my hand in a teachers role and to help these young Kiwis follow their own passions.  I am so happy and excited at the prospect of inspiring young people to see the wonder and amazement you can get from biology if you are only willing to pay attention.

I have always planned to go into teaching at some point but figured I would go out into the world while I was younger to get experience that would enrich the rest of my life before settling down and sharing those experiences in the hopes that they might inspire someone else to enrich their own life.  If we experience new things when we are young, we then have the rest of our lives to process and to use that knowledge for the better, while experience after youth is still advantageous you are left with less time to put these experiences into action.

"Everything you ever sense, in touch or taste or sight or even thought has an effect on you that's greater than zero."

~Gregory David Roberts~

Valentino the Winery Cat   (Janice Antill)

A Temporary Kiwi

A few days ago I was granted my Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand!  It came at an expensive cost and having to jump through all of the required hoops but ultimately I have come out on top and it was well worth it.  While waiting for the final ok on my visa i was hesitant to make any plans for the future in case it did not work out but now my mind is absolutely racing with possibilities.  For the moment I have a perfect situation and could not ask for more but soon I will want to be back on the road exploring more of the beautiful country.

With the working visa I am legally allowed to work in all capacities so I will be applying for jobs from ski lift operator to biological technician.  I plan to keep my options open and, hopefully, to continue broadening my horizons with new jobs and experiences.

I just received word from a fellow Oregonian that I met here.  She in possession of a camper van and has actually offered to give it to me. Not sell... but give.  As I've said before if you follow your heart and stay a positive person the universe will provide.  Typically I am man of reason and fairly pragmatic in action but I can not argue with evidence and according to the recent events in my life things do fall into place.  In the meantime I work very hard and try to return the generosity I am shown.  Suddenly I can hear the locks lift and the world begins to open doors ahead of me.

Now I am not interested in taking advantage of anyone so I will insist that I pay her some amount fro the van, though it will likely not be much due to my own restraints.  A free car would be great but a clear conscience and a wide smile across both our faces would be better.  Is it New Zealand's atmosphere or travel in general that brings out these virtues in all the people I meet here?  These virtues that I imagine are not often found in the United States... or is that my own misconception?  Is it a question of expression instead?

"It's a characteristic of human nature that the best qualities, called up quickly in a crisis, are often the hardest to find in a prosperous calm."

~Gregory David Roberts~

Making Wine at Antill Estate

The Weka Pass steam engine pushes uphill across from Antill Estate,  "I think I can... I think I can". 

The great grape harvest is now upon us at Antill Estate.  The Pinot Noir grapes are at their peak ripeness and ready to turn sugar to alcohol. The grapes are cared for meticulously by hand, nurtured and protected organically from start to finish. They only wait to be plucked bunch by bunch from the vines that they now burden.  Julian and Janice, the owners/operators of this estate, produce a small quantity of wine with an emphasis on quality and a strong passion for both the science and art of wine making.  They have a thorough knowledge of the science underlying wine production but truly theirs is an art incorporating the environment and the community into their own specific brand of terrior.  The Pinot Noir produced through the efforts at Antill Estate has a rich full bodied flavor that appreciates with familiarity and strengthens over time as do the relationships forged by the community-minded wine makers. Though still a small operation with little publicity, relying instead upon word-of-mouth marketing, the Antill Estate label will undoubtedly gain national recognition in the upcoming years as each vintage approaches it's matured state.

PRE-HARVEST

Clean as a whistle

Clean, Clean, Clean is all you think before embarking on a voyage in fermentation.  We must do away with any competing bacteria or fungi that would take hold of the process and send it awry. Sterilization is a potentially difficult task when following organic and eco-concious practices.  Luckily as the french perfected wine production over the course of hundreds of years they came upon some fantastic techniques.  One of these techniques is the use of sulfur as an antibiotic cleansing agent and environmentally safe option.  Everything the grapes might touch is first scrubbed and treated with a sulfur solution.

Awaiting the big day.  These tables live year round for harvest day.

The press standing sentry over packed-up past vintages.

After the complete sulfur cleanse Antill's focus shifts to last years vintage.  Growing in complexity and character the wine has matured within these oaken barrels until the moment we drop in the "bulldog" or wine extractor. Now it is off to be bottled and prepared for the masses.

The 2011 vintage waiting to be bottled for the masses.

The scientist/artist hard at work in his laboratory and shrine to Dionysus, God of wine.

HARVEST

The grape harvest is a ritual and sacred time for the wine industry.  Most of the year, grapes are looked after with a relatively heavy hand pruning, thinning and nurturing them to their full potential.  Now when they reach that final stage and the sugars are just right they must be handled with grace and sympathetic hands.  We do no want to bruise and batter them before the fermentation. They use a whole berry fermentation in which the grapes undergo fermentation while still intact imparting more fruitful flavor to the resulting wine.  All of the grapes are picked, sorted and de-stemmed by hand giving Antill Estate wine the highest possible quality and a purely authentic and wine making process. This is the way wine has been made for centuries by those who set the standards of excellence in the field.

Sweet and plump.

A solid lunch break recharging the invaluable workers.

The vines unburdened.

Father and son.

Roald working hard and loving life.

The picking may take a few days with the help of many friends, family and the odd wwoofer or two.  Crate after crate of ripened grapes are stacked for de-stemming moving ever closer to the fermentation tank. Finally upon meeting the last quality check each bunch passes through able hands and is stripped of its supportive stem, keeping the grape whole, and dropped into a tank where all of the magic will happen.

Crates of grapes.

Each bunch worked over by hand to remove, without breaking, as many grapes as possible for whole-berry fermentation.

No machine will ever match the quality and heart that comes from the hands.

The Past is History and the Future is a Mystery

Adios mi amiga.

As our time as travel companions wound down Adriana and I became aware that we had to start planning for the future again.  She had been accepted into a veterinary graduate degree program with  St. George's University in Grenada.  Congratulations are in order for her because getting into vet school is no small accomplishment and she certainly deserves it.  She is hoping to go on to become a marine vet working with the unusual and often more challenging types of animals such as dolphins, turtles and even whales.  Now thats a serious ambition.  Best of luck Adriana!

Fun in the moment (Adriana Weil)

As for me the future remains a bit more uncertain.  I have been applying for all sorts of research jobs in the states as their field season will just now be starting up.  I have even been offered a few positions but none of them felt right to me and at first I couldn't figure out why.  Why, when I was offered a bird survey position in Oregon, did I feel as though I would have to force myself to accept it when that is exactly the type of position I had been searching for?

Now I know that this is because I am not ready to leave New Zealand.  As much as I do want that job and crave to continue this just blossoming career of mine which is becoming more and more of an ideal life for me I want to explore New Zealand more and to see where this path takes me. This country has swept me off my feet and I find myself enthralled with each new sight... absorbing every experience... living in a way that excites me constantly but still manages to hold me firmly rooted in reality.

As I was saying, I turned down the position reluctantly but confident in my decision.  When in my life will I be in such a place with the opportunity to take full advantage of what is around me without suffering the regret and repercussions of broken commitments?  Now is the time for me to follow my heart on a whim and to see where it takes me.  I have nothing to hold me back at this moment.  The world feels open to me and I am finding that as long as I remain positive and keep hold of what is truly important to me then things seem to fall into place one after another.

This reminds me of home (Adriana Weil)

Passion is worth living for and worth following into the unknown.  My passion for biology will never lapse and that I know. My passion to travel freely and to experience all that I can may only be plausible during the earlier part of my life so I plan to take full advantage while I can.

The people at Antill Estate Winery found a temporary job for me working on vineyards and are allowing me to stay at their place for free in exchange for a bit of work here and there when I have time.  I couldn't ask a for a better way to get situated in a new place.  After my time here I will either head up north to Takaka and the Bay Subtropical farm again or else move on elsewhere to find another job.  There is always work in the orchards, ski mountains and construction but ideally I will be applying for environmental jobs through the Department of Conservation or the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

At the moment my focus is squarely upon working out the visa and making a bit of money to support myself. After that is secured New Zealand will once again be an open book for me and I plan to read every page.

After catching a ride in this truck we watched them load some sheep

Andre the truck driver.

Eclairs.  This was a good day.

Delicious and easy to make.

Post-earthquake Christchurch set up a storage container shopping area.  A creative solution for shop owners in hard times.

Thanks for the experience as a painter dad. (Adriana Weil)

Painting the Cottage at Antill Estate

What was once downtown Christchurch

(Adriana Weil)

Adriana and I playing the happily married couple on her last night in New Zealand.  We were hoping to get a free dessert, but no luck.