After returning to Mora Estate from Nevada, celebrating Hannah's birthday, the company he worked with Song Xianhe was founded, the Ozette Investment Bank opened, and Baker Farm finally drilled a hot spring after two drill bits were broken.

By the time Link was done, it was almost November. The grapes at Habano Farm need to be harvested early, and Link needs to be cared for.

Robert had been in charge of the grapes, and with the help of Bob Fanti, he had enough people to start picking the grapes in two days. Although there are also machines for picking grapes. But things like grapes can easily be damaged if they are harvested mechanically, and they are also difficult to sort.

So Link still asks for manual picking. Although the cost is much higher, the quality of the wine is guaranteed.

Albert hadn't arrived yet, Link's newly recruited winemakers were already in place, and those winemakers from Italy would be there in two days.

This year, Link didn't plan to be as generous as last year. This year, he plans to allow only those students to experiment with no more than 3,000 bottles. Their main task is to assist other winemakers. But that's already very appealing for the trainees. You can experiment with sake brewing before you graduate. Maybe only Link here can make them do that.

After all, most wineries are unlikely to have the high yields here at Link. Those big wineries in France can have a hundred acres of planted area. And the unit yield of grapes is not as high as here in Link.

Link looked at the fragrant fruit area of the grapes, which were densely packed with black bunches of grapes. He picked two and put them in his mouth, feeling that the sugar content was indeed very high.

Robert followed him, nodded slightly when he saw him eating the grapes, and said, "The grapes are already very ripe, and the proportion of unripe grapes is very low, only three or four grapes in a bunch at most." ”

Link nodded and said, "Very good indeed." However, production seems to be high. Will the previous preparations be able to meet the demand for this year's winemaking?"

"I don't think there will be a problem. I also thought that this year's grape production would be very high, which is why I asked to buy more barrels for winemaking. ”

"How much wine do you estimate Habano will produce this year?" Link was thinking about more than just the barrels in which the wine would be made. There is also the capacity of the wine cellar.

"If all the grapes were made, it would be estimated that there would be 30 million bottles. ”

"So many?" 30 million bottles, which is equivalent to a 50% increase over last year.

"Based on the yield of the grapes, it shouldn't be too bad. Robert didn't feel much of it. "Some of the fermentation systems we built this year are capable of processing at least half of the grapes. The rest we can brew in wooden barrels. I plan to stop brewing with pottery this year. ”

Link nodded and said, "Pottery brewing is really not very good. "Last year's pottery wine was only the worst part of the wine. "Do you think those fermenters can be brewed like wooden barrels?"

"The brewing system is made of glass and then mixed with oak sticks, although not in oak barrels. But it also allows the wine to come into contact with the oak. It's definitely better than brewing with pottery, metal pots, and cement pots. ”

Link could only nod and say, "This year, the brewing work here will be handed over to you." Albert will be here in two days, and he'll be making some wine here. You cooperate with him. ”

Robert certainly welcomes this: "I will cherish the opportunity to learn from him. ”

Link added, "Of course, you have other colleagues. Several of them will be placed in Habano in the future, working with you to manage the vineyards and cellar wines. Of course, your team is dominated by you. So you can make some suggestions for the candidates. ”

"How many people are planned to be in Havano?"

"Including you, seven. ”

"I see!" Robert understood what Link meant. Since the others are also winemakers, he is the leader, but he only plays a leading role in the team, and the others are equal to him in other aspects.

Sure enough, he heard Link say, "We're going to make more wine this year, but the cellar should fit it." When the time comes, do you take care of all the cellars together or do you assign tasks to each other, you give a charter. ”

"Yes!"

Robert thought for a moment and then suggested, "Boss, none of our wine cellars are traditional wine cellars built underground. The space on each floor is higher, and I recommend stacking barrels or bottles higher. This will make the best use of the capacity of the cellar. ”

"But you're going to have a lot more work to do with the winemaking process!" Link certainly knew that doing so would allow a single cellar to store more wine. But before bottling, the wine has to be seasoned several times, and if it is stacked too high, it can be quite hard for the winemaker.

"That's not really a problem. Because we don't really have a lot of wine. As long as the seasoning process is not complicated, our workload does not increase too much, and my only concern is that if the barrels are stacked too high, the barrels will be crushed. That might have required some steel frames, which would have required a lot more investment. ”

"Money is not an issue!" Link said with a smile. "I'll consider your suggestion. ”

He paused and said, "You have to be ready, this is probably the busiest month you've ever experienced." By the way, are you sure you're going to take 'Dream' to the next level this time?"

"I've got some new ideas and I'm sure they'll improve. But whether it can reach what kind of level, only the mother will know when she comes out. Robert also knew that this was an exam for himself. It's not just about the management of the winery, it's about the level of winemaking. If he can still brew dreams this time, his current job can be considered stable. On the contrary, he may not have the face to stay.

Link said as he walked forward, "I invited you and your other classmates to work, mainly because Albert felt you had a unique idea, which was reflected in one of the wines you made last year. The quality of those wines is also quite good. Of course, the best of them all, is the 'dream' you brew. It won the Gold Award. ”

"That's a dream for me!" Robert said with a smile as he followed. "I never thought it would be ISC. ”

"It was a good wine indeed. It deserves to be contested and it deserves a gold medal. Link said. "So I suggest that this year you and your classmates continue to focus on wines that you have experience with. Try to improve the quality as much as possible. If you have a new idea, you can experiment with it, but don't waste too much energy. You should understand when I say this. ”

Robert knew he was worried that he would be experimenting too much because he had too many ideas. He nodded and said, "I understand." I will also cooperate with others to do a good job. ”

Link was talking to Robert as if he were admonishing a young man, but in reality, Robert was only a year younger than him.

He nodded and said, "Albert is a master brewer, and although I let you lead the winemaking, I still hope you can learn more from him." ”

He paused and said seriously, "My cooperation with Albert should last a long time. But you know, I'm going to have a lot of wine production here. And Albert couldn't have stayed here forever. So I need a lot of great brewmasters to work for me. He was suggesting that Robert didn't have to worry that Albert's presence would hinder his development.

"At the same time, I would like to have a few talents in the management of the winery. I think you can understand what I say. ”

Robert, of course, understood. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, boss." I won't let you down. ”

Link's observation over the past few months has shown that Robert is a bright and thoughtful young man who has proven himself to be a good guy when it comes to winemaking. And in terms of management, it is also very fast to get started. He had the opportunity to train the young man to become a wine manager.

Albert's cooperation, he will of course continue as well. But both he and Albert understood. Their cooperation can only be cooperation. Albert could not have stayed with him. So his winery must have its own master winemaker. Even if he had more Cellar Masters, Albert didn't have to worry about not being able to make wine with Link again. Because of the large grape production here in Link, even if a hundred winemakers come in, a large amount of material can be distributed.

So Albert also understands Link's idea and is willing to train a few winemakers for Link.

"I wouldn't necessarily come here during the winemaking period. I'll leave it to you then. ”

"If there's anything I don't understand, I'll ask Albert!" Robert, of course, doesn't get so arrogant that he thinks he'll be able to do it in his first year of winemaking. "Also, I have a suggestion. ”

"You say!"

"Boss, you've invited students from the Brewery Academy for internships for two years in a row, and you may do the same in the future. Why don't we establish a direct connection with the academy, we will accept some students for internships in the future. You see, we have a huge grape yield here, which gives them the opportunity to practice. ”

"Go on. Link thought what he said meant a little bit.

Robert laughs and says, "Although wine is won by quality, we cannot deny the importance of reputation. And we lose in time in this regard. We had to find a different way to make our Blue Lagoon wine reputation sink into the hearts and minds as soon as possible. ”

"Like becoming an internship base?"

"Becoming an internship base is just the beginning. We all know that the grapes here are of very good quality and are the ones that allow inexperienced winemakers to put their ideas into practice. They are more likely to get better internship results, and it will be easier for them to get ahead when they go out to work. As they grow into famous winemakers or tasters, the reputation of our Blue Lagoon wines grows. Especially in the wine industry, the status of Blue Lagoon wines will also rise. ”

He said this, adding, "Of course, that will take time. But combined with the quality of the Blue Lagoon wine, I think it will add a lot to the fame of the Blue Lagoon grapes. ”

Link stopped again. Robert came up with this idea, at least to prove that he was indeed a person who had ideas and was willing to put them into action. This is a talent worth cultivating.

He thought for a moment and said, "That's a good suggestion. Who do you think should be responsible for the connection between the brewing schools?"

Robert was stunned for a moment and asked, "Is the boss planning to start this year?" He made the suggestion just now, but it was only a long-term suggestion, so he thought it would be better to do that again next year. But Link seemed to be a little impatient.

Link laughs, "You can only make wine once a year. I don't want to wait another year. And we also have to think about the current batch of students. ”

Robert thought for a moment and said, "I'll contact the academy today." I don't think they would say no. ”