Our original plan was to fly after work and meet in Milan: me from London Bridge via City Airport, Mary from Woking via Heathrow. Then we moved the flight to the morning to spend more time with A & A. We could change the time but not the route so Friday morning we left within 10 minutes of each other to go to *different* aiports and both fly to Milan to meet up again. From there we travelled together to Bari. That has to be one of the dafter travel plans ever.
Mary and Anthea picking grapes
What A & A did not know was that it was harvest time and that they were going to be co-opted for harvesting and grape crushing.
Alan and Andrea picking grapes
Roland transports grape from field to shed
The whole operation is pretty home grown.
Tonino prepares grapes for pressing
The white grapes are given a light crushing to break the skins followed by trampling in the press.
Mino treads grapes
Once the wellington boots have squeezed out the bulk of the juice then the screws are applied. The juice will later be transferred to a stainless steel vessel for the actual fermentation and then bottling next spring.
White grape must (juice) ready for fermentation
Our next set of guests are - apart from a sudden last minute booking - a honeymoon couple: ahhh! Given the lateness of the season we wanted to make sure they had a copious supply of logs for the wood burning stove. No bear skin rug but I am sure they will improvise :-)
Logs for the wood burning stove
We also augmented the usual welcome pack with some Prosecco (local sparkling wine) and arranged with the local agent for some flowers.
Full set of photos on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157625095274580/
 | Trullo Azzurro: beautifully restored trullo in delightful, secluded valley near Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy. Available to rent on a per week basis, sleeps 4-6. For more information visit http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/trulloazzurro |
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