We filled the separator with Shiraz and Merlot and left it for one day to make rose. So many grapes came in that we had to pump some of the juice out of the separator to make space for all of them. Luckily the juice tasted better than the grapes looked, because the Shiraz had clusters with both unripe berries and raisins.

The next day, we took in a small block of Pinotage and cleaned the separator. It was a long day, but we were busy and I felt like I was in harvest. Unfortunately instead of staying late, Marinus prefers to wake up earlier, so on busy days we go in at 6 or 6:30 and still leave at five, without overtime.

Today we drained and pressed our first two tanks of Pinotage and added yeast to the third tank to start the fermentation. One of the vineyard workers from Zimbabwe came into the cellar to help us. Mostly, he shovelled grapes. I went into one of the tanks to help dig it out and it was the worst I have ever felt from CO2. Marinus likes the Pinotage to have a little sugar left when it goes to the press, so it was still fermenting a bit. It didn't feel good, but I made it out fine and I won't volunteer for another Pinotage tank. The press broke just as we finished the last load, so there is someone here from Stellenbosch right now fixing it. I joked with Marinus that he might not know how because it is a 40-year-old screw press, one of only four working ones in South Africa. He complained that the technician charged 5 rand per kilometer ($1.00 per mile) and 150-200 rand per hour ($20-27).

The weather was cool and rainy all day. It reminded me of winter, but it is a nice break from 100+ degree heat.