As a gal who spent a summer planting trees in Canada, I’m prepared for uneven terrain, bugs, the natural elements, and the physical labour. I’ve got my sturdy hiking boots, gardening/work gloves, sunscreen, a hat, water, and no matter how hot it is I NEVER WEAR SHORTS. Nope. It’s just not worth it. While there is no fear of bears, or moose, or black flies here in the vineyards, there are twigs and bushes and thorns and rogue vines and, well, nature, galore.
Why are the rows not cleared of this brush, you ask? Yes, some are, but many are not for the same reason that these vines must be worked by hand. Two words: steep slopes. While sloping vineyards produce notoriously great wine due to the sun exposure, working at a 33-degree incline can be a little, shall I say, lopsided. Spending the entire time pulling leaves off of only one side of the vines (see article “First Days in the Field”), you end up a wee bit slanty (as well as with an uneven suntan—cough! sunburn). On the bright side, every day I feel stronger, and every day it gets a little easier. Just watch that you don’t take your newly developing sense of the all mighty vineyard power out on the growing grapes.
Gear is also important. The boots I wear have been fantastic! My favourite feature is the low back on the boots. It really makes walking on steep slopes more comfortable. In harvest season I will wear waterproof, steel-toe boots. However, even though the boots give me stability, and the gloves I wear protect me from most cuts (as well as give a psychological sense of fearlessness), it seems that blisters are inevitable.
Lastly, as one prone to daily sun sneezes, I have to imagine that allergies would be a nightmare out in the fields. At least it wouldn’t be an allergy to wine itself that stops you from enjoying a well-deserved glass of at the end of a hard day’s work.
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