“ADAPT and OVERCOME”

Dispatch from the Front...

From: Colonel Herb Quady
Department of Insanely Complex Wine Production
Crush Squad
Troon Vineyard

To: Generalissimo Chris Martin
Proprietor, Owner, Overseer, Visionary
Troon Vineyard


Dear Generalissimo Martin:

An inexplicable span of fine, fair, and very warm weather has unleashed a torrent of extremely ripe and highly tasty RED grape varieties headed straight for the winery. In the spirit of our unit, we have had no choice but to meet this challenge head on and process this fine fruit forthwith.

The Crush Squad has performed admirably in this task. However, hours have been long, and casualties have been high. What follows is my personal account of trials and tribulations we have faced in our recent service to the cause.


10/3/06 “Conner saves the day.”

On 10/3, while crushing a batch of rich, ripe, and dense Syrah from the Silver Stars Vineyard, our Italian made “CMA” crusher (Modelo: “California 1” 10635, Year: 1991) suffered a failure of near fatal proportions. Three stainless steel pins of dubious engineering sheared off, causing a total disconnect between the drive system and de-stemming paddle. Fortunately, relief soon arrived. Engineering specialist Gary Conner, of Conner Vinery fame, leveraged his many years of experience in Advanced Rocketry to fabricate a pine dowel replacement. I am happy to say (although somewhat surprised) that our very own American made supplemental drive system has been a more than satisfactory replacement.