so there

I'm bored so I'm going to bore you too. Even though I am reading an entertaining book (Bunker 13) which I can assure you is every bit as entertaining as the positive reviews state, and have dined handsomely on buckwheat pancakes and jasmine tea (fuck, how dull does that sound - though copious amounts of peanut butter sort out the pancakes), I am now at a loose end and find that going to bed at 915 is beyond even me. So, bloggin's the answer.

Spent the last two days sort of filling in at Alpha Domus since my friend JS who does the marketing for them is sick as a dog and there is still stuff that needs doing. Confirms for me that I could never do a job like that for a living - admin based and FULL of paperwork. Aaaagghhh! Still, I think in essence it is something she enjoys which is just as well. So, days full of filling in stuff and selling wine direct to the knowledge hungry public. God, people are just mesmerised by the whole idea of wine, the reasons for which are amply explored in a considerable body of literary and factual work and variously alluded to throughout history which means that I don't have to go into any of it here. But I will say that it is a pleasure to disabuse folk of many of the more tedious misconceptions about almost every aspect of the grog. Flavours are never added to the wine, they occur naturally in grapes and fermented grape juice, with the exception of flavours resulting from use of oak barrels. Pay is very bad in the winemaking industry. Winery work is not 'creative' it is food factory type stuff where you could be moving any substance around for the most part. Any creative aspects of an actual winemakers job are far outnumbered by the managerial aspects which are far more important on a practical everyday level. Good winemakers are essentially good factory/production managers, end of chat. Winery work is pretty intensive all year round, even after the mega work of vintage there is rarely a let up. Most wineries barely make a living although in the long term, if land prices go the right way, small family concerns can come out pretty healthily as has happened in NZ over the last 10 years. Of course many of these facts, and the problems they might pose in career terms are obviated if one is obsessed by some aspect of wine itself. As are many of my friends here. As I thought I was, or may have been. But of course in recent months I have developed almost an aversion to the stuff and with this aversion has come a stark apprisal of the industry as hinted at above. But that's just my view. And it isn't all bad because the wine 'dream' was what got me to NZ and I like it here. So, next dream please.

Looking at my mate Nick's blog http://nickseecharan.blogspot.com/ I see that his flikr site has attracted a comment from Julian Clary which is absolutely hilarious. What is JC doing that he has nothing better to do though than trawl blogs like that, oh, hang on, I do that too....