“Vigneron’ or orchestra player

Posted on | August 16, 2005

OK, let me tell you about the last few days- since Monday, Claudine and/or I have:

1 Tried to understand with the mechanic and Serge, my extraordinary head of viticulture, how better to maintain our beautiful tractor.

2 Discussed with Frèdèric, my apprentice, our attempts to redress the deficiency of manganese in a parcel.

3 Made a tour of 80% of the parcels in order to keep an eye on the mildew which threatens us with as much virulence as always.

4 Attempted to improve the corking machine in order that it might work with plastic corks.

5 Tore a strip off my printer who made a stupid mistake on my back labels

6 Made a route in front of the house so that the cars of the tourists don’t make me mad during the bottling.

7 Tried to fill in the Excel spreadsheet sent over by the Sociètè des Alcools du Quèbec (SAQ), the “open, sesame!1 for all importation (worse than in France-)

8 Discovery of how one one could get a “Gencod’ for the same “SAQ’

9 Sent off for the first time some samples by DHL to the other side of the world.

10 Tried to make a bit of money to bring a smilee to my dear banker (Jean-Pierre, if you read this-)

11 Changed accountant

12 Tried to decrypt a new insurance contract.

13 Filled in seasonal working contracts in a number of examples in the hope of bringing back to France for the harvest my two favourite Poles.

14 Signed two exchanges and a purchase at the notary.

15 Tried to understand why the two air-conditioning systems that were installed on Wednesday (the price of a very beautiful car, all the same) don’t work (I hate “expansion chambers’).

16 Received about ten clients for a tasting in the middle of the chaos but with a smile, made some food for an importer.

17 Organised with the other “vignerons’ of the village an “open-day’ on Saturday.

18 Prepared a complete dossier with jpegs, bitmap logos, text and notes on a calibrated tasting for a tasting.

19 Managed the programme for the team, managed the departure of the seasonal workers, the holidays of the permanent.

20 Organised a trip to Paris, to Belgium, threw out a trip to Quèbec-

Good, I forget, but this week, one played at: fridge repairer, mechanic, agro-engineer, chemist, salesman, host and hostess, social assistance, accountant, lawyer, actuary, travel agent, police, financial director, cook, hotel manager, computer expert, human resources director, graphic designer and -. journalist.

All this with passion and pleasure, because it is what is the charm and the difficulty of this occupation. Good, sometimes, it’s a little, how can one put it, frustrating, that one tells oneself one will never be at the top of any of these jobs and that nonetheless, one must.

“Vigneron’ a beautiful profession? Not “vigneron’, a thousand callings-

Hervè Bizeul

Comments