Farm Upgrades (4)
Late night in San Francisco.
"Go to sleep first."
Christopher kissed Jane on the forehead and turned off the light. Jane, wearing a faint, happy smile, muttered quietly.
"That damn wine..."
Christopher White opened the old laptop on the windowsill and began typing. To avoid disturbing Jane's sleep, only a desk lamp illuminated his work, and a half-empty bottle of Serasia sat beside him. He had picked up an extra bottle on his way out of the shop.
[Brentwood Cherry Wine, Beyond the Prejudice]
He wrote the title and paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. The sense of shame he had felt earlier resurfaced. It was as if the wine had scolded him—a man who prided himself on his knowledge—by saying, "There’s more to the world than you think." So, Christopher poured those raw emotions directly into his writing.
- Until now, I had dismissed cherry wine as nothing more than a sugary fruit drink. I suspect many people share this sentiment. It’s not "real" wine, but rather a beverage for children playing pretend. However, the pairing I experienced at Blaze Bistro shattered that stereotype.
He took a photo of the Serasia bottle he had bought himself and inserted it into the middle of the manuscript. The simple, sophisticated label added a sense of credibility to his piece.
- ....... Scallops with cherry gastrique sauce paired with lobster. That was the moment the cherry wine in my glass turned my common sense upside down. It is distinct from the delicate acidity and raspberry notes of a Pinot Noir, the creamy texture and apple-citrus flavors of a Chardonnay, or the heavy structure of a Cabernet Sauvignon. It finds its own voice in a space that is neither familiar nor entirely foreign.
What must be clearly pointed out is that Serasia is not an ultra-premium product, but rather a new branch that didn't exist before.
Christopher translated the fresh shock he felt at that moment directly into his sentences. He continued the paragraph.
- Serasia is not what we typically call a "fruit wine," but if you drink it with overly grand expectations, you might be disappointed.
Even if it’s not a grand prophecy, it’s worth a try for those bored with conventional wines. Furthermore, the price is affordable, so there’s no burden in trying something new. If you want to discover the unique character of cherry wine, I recommend Serasia.
When he hit the send button, the manuscript was transmitted to the Wine Journal's headquarters server.
"Redwood... cherry wine is just a side hustle, right? Isn't it?"
He felt he would be a little disappointed if it were anything else.
The day after the column about Serasia was sent from somewhere in California, even before it could be published in the magazine...
"Yes? 30 cases? Understood. It's difficult today, but I can do it tomorrow."
"45 cases... I'll have to check the inventory."
I stopped mid-sentence while writing the order form. I realized that with orders pouring in like a tidal wave, there wouldn't be much stock left. Even though it was doing well, we only had 10 tons of cherries, which yielded 8,000 bottles. I never imagined we would run out before Christmas in December.
In truth, this happened because the winery owner declared at the tasting event that we only had 8,000 bottles. Since the customers' reactions were positive, it was natural for them to want to secure bottles in advance, and because Serasia was priced at one-half to one-third the cost of a Pinot Noir, there was no burden in stocking up.
In the end, I sold everything, leaving only two cases for gifts or personal keepsakes.
"Does this even make sense?"
My mother, who had just finished preparing meals for the workers, looked at me with disbelief when I told her the inventory was gone. Once my father returned in the evening and delivered the last of the orders tomorrow, we would return the rental vehicle, and that would be it.
"I didn't know it would do this well, either."
That was the truth. I had expected significant demand if I created a cherry wine different from the existing ones, but I hadn't anticipated this speed. I thought about whether I should have pushed myself to take 20 tons, but I forced that thought away.
At this small winery's current stage, it was better to build up our internal stability and expand facilities step by step rather than pushing our limits. And the fact that we earned $70,000 from cherry wine, easing our tight cash flow, was what mattered. Anything more was just greed.
"You've worked hard."
"Hard work? It was fun. Dad is the one suffering from all the deliveries. I'm going to Chloe's farm now."
"Alright, be careful on the road."
"Yes, yes."
Before leaving, I called Armando. Armando, who had been riding a small tractor between the vines to plant cover crops, now handled it with enough skill to give off the scent of a veteran.
"I'm going to Chloe's, so please rest in the office and answer any calls."
"Ooh! Sounds good!"
Armando's face brightened at the instruction to wait in the office. Since Armando was a student and needed to study, I sometimes gave him time to study in the office when there was no work.
"We're out of wine, so just turn them down politely."
"What? Already?"
"Yeah. There are two cases left in the warehouse, but those are reserved, so leave them be."
"Whoa~ that's insane. If we really make 100 tons next year, how much money is that?"
"The profit from our farm alone would be over $900,000, I think."
Armando's jaw dropped.
"$900,000 just from cherry wine? You're going to be rich!"
"If it all sells. It might not. That's why it's a big deal if we have leftover stock in the first year. We might have to adjust the price or go on sales trips to the East Coast. When that time comes, you and I should go to New York together."
"Ooh! That'd be great! I'm totally a New York kind of guy."
"... Have you ever even been to New York?"
"No. Not at all. But don't doubt that I'm a New York kind of guy."
"...... Right. Just answer the phone well."
With that, I drove my old pickup truck toward Brentwood.
When I arrived at the vast vacant lot where we were making biochar for the Harris farm, the mountain of biochar had shrunk significantly. It seemed that after nearly half a month of labor, the massive task was nearing its end.
As I parked and got out, I saw a large man approaching from afar. It was Frederick, with his broad hands and wide shoulders.
"You're here?"
"Have you been doing well? That huge pile has almost disappeared, hasn't it?"
"It's not like I could drag it out forever. It's a good thing it didn't rain much this year; it would have been a headache if it had. And the work you assigned isn't that difficult, is it?"
"Of course not. Anyone who isn't a fool can do it."
It wasn't a task difficult enough to require specialized labor. It was just a matter of digging circular trenches under the small cherry trees and adding the charcoal we had worked so hard to create. Covering it with soil was nothing.
"Brandon seems to be following along well, too. Thanks to your good teaching."
I could feel that even though he had given the cherry farm to his daughter, he was still keeping an eye on his son.
"I haven't done much. And surprisingly, Brandon didn't seem to have any wariness or resistance toward farming itself."
"Surprisingly? Hmm... I guess your first impression wasn't very good?"
"Well... it was like that. But after watching him close by, he followed along quite well."
When I only said good things, Mr. Frederick looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Yes. Just... other than his mind seeming a bit complicated?"
Mr. Frederick tilted his head, perhaps because the explanation was a bit strange. Just then, I saw someone walking straight toward us from afar.
"It's Raymond."
Raymond, his messy black hair flying, walked over in a hurry and said to Frederick with a slightly aggrieved expression.
"Boss, if you do this, I cannot guarantee the results of next year's cherry harvest. This is... a farming method I have never heard of or experienced!"
In truth, from a third party's perspective, he wasn't wrong. It was understandable that a farm manager would be flustered to see 500 tons of wood and 250 tons of fertilizer being turned into charcoal and spread across the farm just because a college student suggested it.
Naturally, Frederick looked troubled. While he was trusting his daughter's friend, it must have been embarrassing for him to tell his farm manager that he was doing this based on nothing but faith.
"Didn't you say there was evidence?"
He suddenly turned the arrow toward me.
"Ah, of course. Charcoal provides tremendous help to the soil. It holds water and nutrients for a long time, promotes microbial growth, and saves on irrigation and fertilizer costs."
"My god... are you really believing that?"
"Hmm... I believe it."
"Boss, you shouldn't do this. To think this would happen while I was focusing on the walnut farm..."
He looked around the farm, unable to hide his despair. He immediately spoke to Frederick again.
"You must stop this strange behavior immediately. You need to prepare for spring starting now so there are no problems with next year's harvest."
But Frederick only kept a strange smile and continued walking, and naturally, the three of us entered the middle of the farm. There, the two siblings were working hard, burying the biochar with the laborers.
"Working hard, are you?"
At Frederick's voice, everyone turned their heads, and Chloe, spotting me, waved her shovel.
"Come over and help me!"
Frederick looked at me, but I shrugged, pretending not to hear.
"It seems very difficult."
"You'll live happily later on."
What did he mean by that?
"Thank you."
"......"
"Anyway, it looks like they're doing well."
At this moment, Brandon plunged his shovel into the ground and complained to Frederick.
"Dad, stop this now. Mr. Raymond said it would grow well enough just by giving it fertilizer!"
By the standards of this era, that wasn't wrong. The problem was that my method was designed to produce yields beyond the standards of this era.
"That is correct. I will ensure there are no problems with the farm without doing this. I admit I lost your trust due to the aphid issue before, but this is not the way."
As Raymond gained Brandon's support and requested it strongly once more, Frederick looked troubled. Just as Chloe, unable to watch any longer, raised her eyebrows to say something, I cut in.
"That fertilizer... when you came to our winery earlier and showed us the cost breakdown, I noticed the expenses for fertilizer were quite high? It was over $80,000, right?"
Everyone turned their attention to me, and Frederick nodded in agreement.
"That's right."
"What do you usually use to spend that much? By my calculations, it shouldn't cost more than $60,000, even being generous."
Frederick's gaze shifted to Raymond. Raymond, now the target of the inquiry, was flustered for a moment before blurting it out as if he had nothing to hide.
"Nitrate (Ammonium Nitrate), Urea, DAP (Diammonium Phosphate), lime or gypsum... that's what I'm using."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
He even gave me a look that suggested, "What could you possibly know about this?" I turned to Frederick.
"Do you know the ratio of those?"
"That much, I don't..."
"Alright. Shall we go to the warehouse?"
At my words, Frederick nodded as if bewitched, and we suddenly headed to the warehouse by car. Since the farm was so large, it took about 10 minutes to arrive. The exterior was old and dilapidated, but it didn't look like it would collapse anytime soon.
As we pried open the warehouse door with a creak, a musty smell rushed out.
"Go in and see."
Raymond gestured with his head, his face unpleasant. He must have been annoyed by the behavior of an Asian man poking his nose into his work. But I didn't care; I walked into the warehouse, looked over the mountain of fertilizer, and pointed to a bag labeled [UREA 46-0-0].
"There's an overwhelming amount of Urea. Why is that?"
Raymond was momentarily flustered.
"Th-that's... obviously because nitrogen is the most important thing for farming..."
In UREA 46-0-0, the numbers mean 46% nitrogen, with 0% phosphate and potassium, meaning it is pure nitrogen fertilizer.
"What about SOP (Sulfate of Potash)?"
"That's over there..."
"Is this all there is?"
When I asked with a bewildered expression after seeing the small pile of [SOP 0-0-50] in the corner, his hands trembled noticeably.
"This much is enough to have a sufficient effect, you don't know anything..."
But just by seeing this, I could clearly see how the Harris farm had been managed. As is the case with most cherry farms in this period, they were applying fertilizer in an extremely inefficient manner. Most people wouldn't even know that giving it this way was wrong. Additionally, I could tell that the farm manager had been playing games with the fertilizer payments.
I turned to look at Frederick, shook my head, and said,
"He's been dumping excessive nitrogen into the soil with cheap Urea. You should check the purchase orders and delivery slips to find out when this started."
Now that I saw it, the reason he had been over-applying nitrogen fertilizer—which caused the aphid problem—wasn't to make Chloe lose, but because he had been purchasing excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizer to skim money off the top.
"Raymond!"
At Frederick's roar, which sounded like thunder, Raymond's legs began to tremble.
"B-boss. That is..."