Vineyards in Nelson

Sunrise at the office

Dear Lula,

I am glad to hear you are having a good time in Switzerland. I am a bit jealous. It has always been one of my favorite countries and I want to go back one day, but I am enjoying myself in New Zealand as well. I have just finished my first week of work on the vineyards here in Nelson. I was a bit discouraged on my first visit here, thinking that I had missed the harvest and also my chances of getting vineyard work. Well, everything fell into place this time around and I found a job and a bunch of good friends in the process.

When I called my soon to be new boss up for an interview I had no idea it would turn into me painting his house and drinking wine all day. It was by far the best job interview I have ever had, wine tasting on the first day. I took it as a good sign for things to come! If you are interested I can get you a job here. It is hard work but you can’t beat the office. Outside in the vineyards surrounded by snow covered mountains and the sun shining. Right now the vines need to be pruned and tied down to get them ready for the next harvest season. I am a tier, so that means I get to tie down the best new canes to the wires and cut the rest of the canes (or limbs) off, leaving a nice and tidy vine to grow and bud for next harvest season.

A vine before pruning and tying

My vines after they were pruned and I tied them

In my spare time I am wandering around the coast driving through the countryside and exploring with friends from work. They have taken it upon themselves to be my unofficial tour guides for the area. Last weekend we drove up the coast to a secluded beach. At low tide we went out and dug for cockles (probably spelled wrong), a type of muscle they have here. We cooked them that night. They were delicious! It reminded me of when we went fishing in France for crabs and shrimp. The drive through the country side was beautiful. Plus, there are so many little small farms along the way that have little stalls by the rode where you can stop and buy all sorts of fresh home grown fruits and vegies and even jams and free range eggs. It is amazing. I know you would love it here. You can go out for a nice drive on the weekend and do all of your grocery shopping along the way. Not to mention all the vineyards you can stop at and do a wine tasting or two. I am constantly surprised by the variety and quality of the wines here!

I can’t wait for next weekend. More wine tastings and we plan to drive up to a different part of the coast and do some salmon fishing and then have a beach barbeque. Hope all is well with you and that are still having a great time.

Love,

Kiki