Chapter 36: Harvest Fair (1)
TL: Hanguk
The next day at dawn.
All around, the sound of metal shears going “snip” as they cut grape stems rang out in a steady rhythm, and Cabernet Sauvignon piled up neatly in the baskets. Starting from the first row, I moved down slowly, selecting the clusters. When I lifted one onto my palm, the berries gleamed a deep navy blue.
“Send them to the winery as soon as the bins are filled.”
A forklift moved with a low mechanical hum. A one-ton bin received the grapes from the baskets and then headed down toward the winery.
“How much do you think it’ll be?”
My dad, wearing gloves on his hands, asked as he came up.
“I think it’ll be somewhere between about 45 and 50 tons.”
“About the same scale as the Pinot Noir we bought?”
“Right. It’ll probably be close to 50 tons. Oh, and we got a response. Silver Oak Farm said they’ll put it on the market for 1.1 million dollars.”
“Yeah?”
Even as he showed interest, my dad’s expression turned worried again.
“Will it be okay? For nearly five years, it’ll just be money going in and no profits coming out.”
“That’s why it’s cheap. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be available at that price.”
“Sure, but... it’s an area that took damage from a wildfire, so buying there again makes me uneasy.”
My dad’s concern was completely reasonable. And in fact, later on, massive wildfires did sweep through Napa and Sonoma again, so it wasn’t a wrong thing to say.
“You’re right. Still, even so, it has value. It’s not just that we’re accepting the risk, the land itself has value.”
“The land itself?”
“Yes. What we’re buying is real estate.”
Maybe because he was Korean, the word “real estate” made my dad nod.
“You’re not wrong, but...”
“Real estate is something that doesn’t change in value if you hold onto it. As we pay down the loan principal and interest, even if we do nothing there, later on we’ll be able to get at least the price we paid.”
To be honest, assuming I didn’t know the knowledge from before my regression, it was an investment with enormous risk. If you knew that apartment prices in Gangnam from twenty years ago would rise the way they have now, anyone would have scraped together every last won (₩) to buy an apartment, but just like how there weren’t many people who actually went through with that kind of investment.
“But that’s not why we’re buying it. The restoration costs are going to be substantial, too.”
“That’s true. But a large part of the restoration costs will be supported by the government, so you don’t have to worry too much about that. And we’ve got cherry wine, and we’re going to make vinegar, too. We’ve got Pinot Noir as well.”
“Hm...”
“And I have a dream. To turn the vineyard I own into something like To-Kalon.”
“To-Kalon? That’s the place that sells expensive stuff, right?”
“Huh? You know it?”
“Hey, I studied a lot too. Of course I know. What was it? Isn’t that the farm name that the guy who set up a vineyard in Napa a long time ago gave it?”
It began when a man named Hamilton Crabb established a vineyard of about 500 acres in the Oakville area of Napa Valley in 1868 and named it To-Kalon Vineyard. And after his death, the To-Kalon land was divided into several pieces and sold off, and now it remained in the hands of multiple farm owners.
“That’s right. Since it burned completely in the fire this time, I’m thinking of acquiring it and rebuilding starting from the soil. Like To-Kalon is now. It’ll cost some money to develop it that way, but the land value will become tremendous.”
In Napa Valley, the current price per ton for Cabernet Sauvignon is close to about 4,000 dollars, but twenty years later it rises to more than double what it is now. Even this price of 4,000 dollars per ton is more than three times that of other regions, which is why Napa Valley AVA land prices are more expensive than other areas.
If I take it even further, the Cabernet Sauvignon grown in To-Kalon in the heart of the Oakville AVA in Napa Valley comes to be recognized as ultra-high-priced premium grapes worth more than 50,000 dollars per ton after 2020.
That meant that even within the same Napa Valley, already a premium grape-growing region, there could be about a fivefold price difference. Because of that, disputes went to court among farms in the Oakville area over who could use the name To-Kalon.
So, making the terroir like To-Kalon meant completely changing the land’s future value.
Thinking about it, all this time, firming up the soil with biochar compound fertilizer and air-fertilizer packs was practically the same as roughly constructing a core part of To-Kalon.
“That’s going to cost a lot. On top of the money we spent buying Pinot Noir... the loan principal, the interest... the workers’ wages... our living expenses... your tuition... the restoration cost for the land we buy that burned in the fire...”
As I watched Dad fold down one finger at a time, I stared up at empty space for a moment, then spoke with confidence.
“We’ll hold a tasting around November for the Pinot Noir and the cherry wine. If we sign contracts with restaurant owners there and receive advance payments, we can solve a significant part of it.”
“In the end, everything changes depending on what the wine price and sales end up being?”
“That’s right.”
“Haa... I'm scared. It’s 1.1 million dollars. In Korean money, that’s well over a billion won.”
“Just trust me. And since we’re buying fire-damaged land, we can get a deferment on principal repayment for up to five years. We’ll also receive support for the restoration costs.”
After worrying over it for a long while, Dad finally nodded.
“Okay, let’s do it. It’s real estate, if nothing else...”
“...... You made the right decision.”
It seemed that, more than anything else, what moved Dad’s heart in the end was the fact that what we were buying was real estate.
After that, over the course of two days, I harvested all the grapes, close to 50 tons, and moved them to the winery. Of these, I plan to turn half of what seemed even slightly less marketable into vinegar, and the other half into wine.
And I separately selected the prettiest and sturdiest ones and packed them into boxes. They were the items we would submit to the Sonoma County Harvest Fair that would be held in a few days.
***
Three days later, our whole family mobilized to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. We carefully carried the grapes we grew this time in the back seat, and no one could wipe the smiles off their faces.
Just finishing a hard year of farming and bringing the results with us was enough to make us feel excited and happy.
“Are your friends coming too?”
At Mom’s question, I answered from the passenger seat.
“Probably only Chloe will come. Armando’s busy keeping up with studying, and Jacob’s in the middle of rice harvest season, so he’s swamped.”
“Still, they could make time for at least a day.”
“Come on, they already had plenty of fun at the Sunset Fest festival.”
"That's true. They kept looking for you, right? Because they wanted to hang out?"
They begged me to hang out several times, but since they knew I was so busy, my friends couldn't push anymore.
“I don’t even feel like partying big or anything.”
"But isn't Jacob's place huge? So does Jacob operate machines and stuff?"
"You can't think of it like rice farming in our country. They can't do without a combine. Jacob said he first drove a combine when he was 15."
“Oh my, America really is different.”
“It really is.”
“If Chloe said she’s coming, couldn’t we pick her up and go together?”
“Oh, Mom. It’s a long way from our house to Chloe’s. She has a car too.”
While chatting with my parents like that, we arrived at the venue, where it was so packed with people that it was hard to even get through. Bins lined up by region, wine bottles, and the names of wineries printed on huge banners stood out.
In the middle of it, Chloe, who had arrived first as promised, waved her hand. She particularly stood out today in her white shirt and jeans.
“You’re here!”
“Yeah. The roads were a bit congested.”
“Hello!”
At the sight of Chloe greeting them brightly, my parents welcomed her warmly.
“When does the blind test start?”
"At the very end."
"I saw some kids from your department walking around earlier?"
“I guess so. There probably won’t be many of them who submitted grapes, so later they can just participate in class for a bit.”
“I see.”
The class was participating as students in a blind test the professor had announced in advance. Like the senior Matthew had said, it wouldn’t be reflected in the judging score, but it was an evaluation of how strong a student’s senses were, and students who produced scores similar to the judges would receive additional points, he said.
“Let’s submit the grapes first.”
On one side of the venue, each farm was filing in in a line to submit their grapes and wine, and under a large tent, dazzlingly well-arranged grape clusters sparkled as they welcomed the visitors. The opening ceremony unfolding with flashy music felt like a festival ground, but the people who looked like farm owners had fairly tense faces.
Together with my parents, I stepped into the venue carrying the grapes we had harvested with such care. Dad’s eyes were shining with tension, and Mom carefully wiped the grape clusters herself, cherishing them as if worried dust might get on them. In front of us, the submission table with a number already assigned was waiting.
“Will it be okay?”
Seeing how worried Mom looked, I smiled at her.
"Mom, don't worry. Ours aren't eating grapes anyway, so they won't get much attention. We submitted them to add a line to the history when we make wine later."
“Still...”
Even if they were wine grapes, if we got a good score at an event like this, the farm’s brand value would rise by default. Farms that had already steadily built up their brand over many long years wouldn’t submit to an event like this, but it wasn’t strange for small farms to participate to make their brand known.
When judging began, the commotion in the hall died down, and judges in dignified coats stood in a line, tasting each farm’s grapes and writing down scores.
“It’s ours.”
When the judges reached our grapes, Mom, tense, gripped my hand tightly. After evaluating everything, the color and shape, and the feel and aroma when eaten, and calculating the grapes comprehensively as wine material, they looked at one another and nodded.
“These grapes... the aroma is different.”
“The balance between acidity and sugar is very good.”
The expressions of the professors leaving small notes were unusual.
“Looks like it’s good?”
Chloe, nearby, whispered in my ear.
“Who knows.”
I said I didn’t know, but I was sure. These were the ones harvested at exactly the right time after building optimal soil with biochar compound fertilizer and air-fertilizer packs, and applying perfect water stress. If they weren’t top-tier quality, it would be a shame for the dozens of papers I’d used up to now.
A moment later, the host’s voice rang out.
“Now, it’s time for the awards for this year’s Sonoma County Harvest Fair, the wine grape division! This year’s first place is...”
After drawing it out for a beat, the host shouted.
“Surprisingly, it’s a tie for first. Castello Winery! And Redwood Winery!”
The participants were momentarily taken aback but soon poured out applause. Matthew, who hadn’t been visible anywhere, walked up onto the stage with ease. When he saw our family coming up onto the stage, he made a baffled expression.
It was obvious from his eyes that he couldn’t accept the fact that our farm had produced grapes good enough to be compared to the Cabernet Sauvignon produced at Castello Vineyards, which belonged to To-Kalon.
“I could have been satisfied with second place... but a tie for first is an honor.”
On the podium, I spoke quietly to Matthew. And I meant it. When he said he was participating, I thought the best outcome would be second place. But I hadn’t expected they would give a tie for first.
Professor Thomas Edward, who served as the chief judge, looked at me and Matthew with an expression of wonder and said,
"Matthew is our student and... it says Redwood Winery is also our student?"
“That’s right. I’ll be participating in the blind test later as well.”
When I spoke, he gave a kindly smile.
“You raised them astonishingly well.”
After saying that, he continued, looking at Dad with a gaze full of amazement.
“I’d like to express my respect for having grown Cabernet Sauvignon comparable to this in a place that isn’t To-Kalon.”
“Thank you.”
My parents expressed their thanks, and he turned his head back to Matthew.
“Strictly speaking, first place should be yours, but since you’re a farm that has already written history for many long years, I judged that if the difference is slight, a tie for first is appropriate. Do you think that’s unfair?”
"Not at all."
As if he had not the slightest complaint, Matthew shook his head, and Professor Thomas awarded both farms plaques and a prize of 5,000 dollars.
“You did great!”
From far below the platform, Chloe waved her hand, and my parents waved both hands back in reply. To anyone watching, they’d think she was their daughter.
As we came down from the platform, Matthew brushed past without saying a word. He knew as well that a tie for first was, in practice, a defeat.
“His personality’s pretty sharp, unlike how he looks.”
I snickered, then walked up to my parents, who were thrilled. And UC Davis students and Matthew Higgins were watching this scene intently.