Wednesday my Pinot Grigio was delivered.  I am usually so excited around winemaking time and the delivery is the first in the sequence of events. This delivery was different.  I’ve heard people say “he is probably not legal” when it comes to large trucks.  Does this mean the truck driver is not legally licensed or does it mean the truck is not legal?  I’m not sure but here's how it all went down.

When the driver opened the back doors of the enormous truck, I expected to see it filled with items other than my single pallet order.  It was not. There was no gate and no way to lower the pallet off the truck onto the ground.  My response to the driver, who did not speak much English, was “take it back”.

The few words of English he used were, “It’s ok”, “maximum slow”, and “no”.  All other communication was with gestures and through a translator app on his phone.  While up in his truck, he proceeded to take the 2 55-gallon drums of Pinot Grigio juice off the pallet one at a time.  I watched in horror as he rolled the drum, most likely weighing 250 pounds, into the back of my gator.  Then he got in the back and started giving me the driving direction of “maximum slow” repeating it several times to which I said, “I am, I am”.  

The delivery was stressful, and the man worked so hard moving those barrels that I tipped him $100.  As I offered him a ride back down to his truck, his app said to me “you look tired, you should rest”.  Off he went on foot back to his truck, and even though I was not tired, I took his advice and sat down.  Shortly, my phone rang.  It was my neighbor.  The truck was stuck and had knocked down the 5 mailboxes at the end of my driveway.

As I approached, I saw our 5 mailboxes on the ground, the frame they were on was shredded, and some of the mailboxes were flat.  The back of the truck was stuck on a tree stump on the bank above the mailboxes.  Thankfully, my neighbor’s son was there to try and help the now very agitated truck driver calm down and free his truck.  When he finally broke free, he drove away and never looked back.  I stood there with my mouth open and nothing would come out.  I was horrified, shocked, in shock, and had no idea what to do next. 

I am thankful for my friend and neighbor, Susie, who always finds a solution in a cheerful manner.  Although I do not have the mailbox numbers on the boxes yet, my job as mailbox foreman is coming to an end. Decisions such as size of the mailboxes, do we correct the mailbox numbers, and who is going to stain the new wood frame are all resolved. (My honorable distributor will reimburse me for the costs incurred by the trucking company error.)

The Pinot Grigio is now in its stainless-steel tank and is ready for fermentation. The juice tastes lovely and I think it will be a great late summer wine. We are geared up and ready for this hectic weekend with live music at the farm tonight, tomorrow the Spring WineFest, and Sunday I’ll be with Sue from Birchrun Hills serving wine and cheese for the Chester County Arts Tour at Kingsway Gallery in Chester Springs.

There were some pretty good laughs throughout these last few days. I got to know some of my neighbors better, and it is enough to say, I “don’t think he is legal“.

May the road rise up to meet you and your tailgate stay free!

Sharon