Duvauchelle, Duvauchelle, Duvauchelle! We're back, praise the glorious day! Driving back onto the Banks Peninsula felt just like coming home. (Please see our various Christmas entries for more info). John welcomed us back to the house with open arms, and we had a delightful chat to catch up with what we've all been doing the past 3 months!
We also got to meet our fellow WWOOFers this time around: they're a French couple named Quentin and Maud, and they're great companions. Quentin is planning to open a craft brewery when he gets back to France- apparently it's a good time right now, as the scene there is very underdeveloped. Maud is a baker! They're almost done with their time in New Zealand, and are heading to South America next.
Our first evening back was paradise! John cooked an absolute feast of roast beef, broccoli, turnips and carrots, and of course homemade bread. Julie, who spends a good chunk of the week working in Christchurch, was back, and so was their son Mike. Mike had some hilarious stories about his police work in Christchurch! We had some of John's DELICIOUS wine- he even had a champagne!!-- and also his home-brewed beer. (Kara says: This cycle repeated every day. Feast, talk, drink wine and beer. In no particular order, or all at once.) I am so inspired when I'm here to make as much myself-- right now, I'm boiling milk to make labne cheese and I made a ciabotta loaf today as well. I need to hold onto this spirit for when I get home! I am already thinking of different cheeses I can make, and I'd like to get into brewing beer.
The next morning, after breakfast, we went up to one of John's paddocks to pick the grapes for his wine! The grape is called Breidecker, and it's a German-American hybrid. It's no longer grown in Germany because of a parasite, but it's a favorite table wine in NZ.
We really enjoyed picking the grapes-- it was satisfying and easy work on the scale we did it. I particularly like taking a moment to look up, which gives you a view down the paddock into Akaroa bay. UGH.
(IT'S SUCH A PARADISE HERE!)
We spent the rest of an afternoon in a similarly productive fashion. Kara, Jordan, Quentin, Maud, and I went to Okains Bay to pick mussels! It's just so mindblowing to me that you can head down to the beach and collect dinner. We went at low tide, although the tide wasn't going out too far (the moon!) so we still had to battle some waves to get the big ones.
The next day, Sunday, wound up being a very restful day (we didn't deserve it!) as John likes quiet Sundays, and also, the Cricket World Cup match was on! It was especially exciting because New Zealand was there for the first time, and also playing their archrival, Australia. I still do not understand how Cricket works, really, but I do understand it better now. (Enough to know that NZ didn't do so hot... :( ) (Jordan says: John watched Cricket ALL day. Why do I still get made fun of for watching the final round of golf tournaments?)
After a nice chat with John in the morning, Kara and Jordan and I headed to Akaroa to explore a bit. Kara found an AMAZING SHIRT. I ate ice cream. We admired one of the prettiest locations we've seen in New Zealand (and that's saying something!) I also bought supplies for making the labne. And then we came home and got to hang out! I chopped some peaches so that Julie could make a preserve, and I made some bread, and I boiled some milk for leban yougurt which will turn to labne cheese, and overall it was quite a productive day for being a rest day.
Kara says: Duvauchelle has given me some great shirt luck! I found the perfect shirt with rabbits spilling from a water glass, and I finally got my sister's birthday present for me in the mail! Cat shirt!
BECAUSE
I GOT TO WIELD A CHAINSAW!!!!!!!!
John had a small field of Pinot Gris grapes that weren't producing at all-- possibly too much shade, but who really knows. So he decided that the time was ripe to rip them out. John chainsawed one row at a time, and the rest of us followed behind to pull the branches out. It's harder work than it sounds-- those grape plants don't want to let go!
I got to chainsaw the last row. I am the happiest person you have ever met.
On Tuesday, we had a big day planned. In the morning, the boys got a new batch of beer going. (Jordan says: There were some initial problems understanding John's beer making equipment--apparently Quentin uses slightly different methods at home--but John is very good at rolling with punches and making something good despite the little inconsistencies of the creative process. I hope the beer from that batch turns out to be good!)
I did go help pick, and it was a lovely day followed by an absolute feast and some very nice pinot noir, pinot gris, and rose to thank us for our work. They had about 7 rows of grapes beyond their capacity to process, so, as they frequently do, they told John that he could come and pick them and make his own wine from them! When we got home that night, Julie was back from Christchurch, where she spends most weeks in order to be closer to work. We all had a very enjoyable dinner together- not that we needed more food! (Seriously, if there's one thing I'll remember about this week, it's how much I overate...)
Thursday was another rest day, which would make me feel guilty except I sorely needed to lie on the couch and nurse my rash for a bit. I did retry the garlic herb bread, and had an AMAZING success this time! Also, Maud made homemade nutella, and Kara had made an apple pie the night before! I swear to god I ate SO MUCH. SO MUCH.
Kara says: Since John has beautiful apple trees, I wanted to make a homemade apple pie! I used my family's pie crust recipe which calls for lard. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find it, but went to the local bucher in Akaroa. He said he was all out of lard (pig fat), but happened to have suet (lamb fat), so I decided to give it a go! It turned out well, but I will say that the crust had a different flavor, to the discerning palate.
Kara still says: On that rest day Jordan and I also decided to take a walk out onto the peninsula in the bay. The weather was perfect and it was an idyllic afternoon.
Saturday it was time to prepare the grapes to be wine. Since we were making a pinot noir, we didn't use the barrel to crush them. You crush a white wine immediately so that you get the juice away from the skins quickly, which would affect the taste of the wine. With red wine, you leave the juice with the grape skins to achieve the color and tannins desired. So, after we spun the pinot noir grapes through the machine to remove their stems, the grapes went in big barrels where they'll sit for a week or two to gain color. Then John will start fermenting them. He did run off about 100 liters to make champagne, though! We thought we had more grapes than there turned out to be, so there wasn't enough for a rose, but John may use his own pinot noir grapes for that.
Mike ended up taking us to The Institution, a new craft beer bar on New Regent Street. It was awesome, with a nice selection and cool decor. (Our couch was made from leather jackets!) We had a great time catching up a bit. Then, with a few false starts, we got some food at a place called Burgers & Beers, which is only in Christchurch and which had THE BEST BURGERS. Or at least the best ones I've had in New Zealand so far (and yes, it was better than Fergburger in Queenstown.) Also it had the best decor. And their fries all come with gravy!