Lessons

Another Tuesday was unfolding. Keint-He’s winemaker, Lee, was taking his daughter to dance in Belleville. The harvest intern, Ryan Beverly, was looking forward to his volleyball game.

Ryan had been working in the cellar for a month. He is a young guy; twenty-two but quickly gaining experience in winemaking. Before Ryan went to volleyball, he would finish the day’s cleaning. Then he would move a pallet carrying a 500-litre tank of pinot gris.

A big part of developing skill is learning from mistakes. Everyone in our industry makes mistakes. There are too many opportunities for error. Winemakers have taken valves off full tanks, inadvertently blended red and white, and overfilled tanks. Personal stories of failure and lessons learned are traded among winemakers. We bond through a currency of humility—our cult-of-fault.

A 500-litre tank has one valve that is very close to the bottom. The tanks are designed to be placed on stands, but most winemakers keep them on pallets for easy moving. To sit flat on a pallet, the tank’s valve must stick out to the side.

With thoughts of volleyball in his head, Ryan was successfully working through his list. He cleaned the hoses according to a three-step procedure then organized the extra clamps and gaskets. He rinsed and squeegeed the floor. He would be at volleyball on time for the first time in a month. There was only one small task left to do.

Ryan grabbed the pallet jack, slid it under the tank and began to lift. The usual creaks and groans of the jack were overshadowed by a distinguished snap. Ryan had broken the tank’s valve. He dropped the pallet and removed the jack. He crouched down on the floor and plugged the leak with his left hand.

Time slows. I wonder how long he crouched on the floor. I wonder how long his hand held back the leak; how he contained the turmoil pulsing in his belly.

I know a bit of what happened next. Ryan pulled off the tank’s label and used it to slow the leak. He ran to the only spot in the cellar with cell reception and called Lee. That’s significant.

My phone rang at six. “I’m in Belleville” Lee said. “Are you close to Keint-He?”

When I arrived, Ryan was taping up the broken valve; trying to recreate a seal. We worked together to transfer the pinot gris into a new tank. Less than 10 litres were lost.

Later that week, Lee and I inducted Ryan into the cult-of-fault. We shared beer in a simple ceremony. We regaled Ryan with tales of personal mishaps, mistakes and miseries. Stories where we lost much more than 10 litres. Times we acted less responsibly than Ryan had.

Ryan did everything right that Tuesday. He reacted quickly and stemmed the flow of wine. He admitted what happened then asked for help. He could have hidden the mistake but chose not to.

Ryan learned a lesson in winemaking. I learned a lesson in courage.