Lorraine has her own natural soda business here at Eatwell Farm. She also has a blog and a facebook page. I stole this page from her blog to share with you all... Nigel
Lorraine writes.... Little did I know at the start of this soda business the variety ofopportunities that would come my way. Recently one of those “opportunities” was harvesting Pinot Noir grapes at Schug Winery. I live in Sonoma County where grapes, vineyards and all things wine are a big part of the lifestyle. Wineries are a short drive down almost any road, at our fairs you can whoop it up in grape stomping contests, and in my small community of Cotati we spend Friday evenings wine tasting at Oliver’s Market. Picking grapes doesn’t sound like work to me, but rather a chance to partake in the labor that brings us so much pleasure. My friend David works at Schug Winery in the Carneros, a region well known for its Pinot Noir. We were discussing how the harvest went when another friend asked if he could come out to pick seconds (the grapes left on the vine that the winery won’t be using). I have to admit grape soda was not anything that jumped to my mind, mostly due to the fact that when I think of “grape soda”, far too many memories of that artificial flavor and color come rushing back from childhood. But a Pinot Noir soda, now that sounded really intriguing. Next thing I know the car was packed with empty crates, garden gloves, and my family visiting from England! It was one of those glorious Northern California fall mornings, beautiful sunshine, not too hot and a gentle breeze to keep us cool. Of course it almost hit 100 later that the day, but our work was long done by then and the grapes were chilling in the cooler back on the farm. In less than two hours Anna, Edward and I had enough grapes to make approximately 4 kegs of soda. Reward for a job well done was waiting for us in the tasting room, but before that, standing in the middle of that beautiful vineyard, I had to take a moment and offer a little thanks to Bacchus; here’s to a life well appreciated. Salute!