Brewery's Winemaking Lesson, or your First Day on the Job

[Istya Alassea]

The Strawberrystar Brewery

Winemaking Lessons

The Shire's Strawberrystar Brewery is one of the more long-running businesses in all of Middle Earth. Famous for its faithful brewing of many delicious wines and ales, wizards, Men, and elves have traveled here for individual and bulk sales, group tours and occasional parties.

During its long life, it has been under the management hands of a few hardworking hobbits who loved to contribute to the rest of the Shire by helping with parties and events. A few of those famous hobbits have been Tari Boffin, Istya Alassea and Rian.

Upon Istya's return to the Shire, this was one of the very first places she wanted to see reopened, as some of her most favorite memories were from here. Interacting with co-workers and getting to make so many new friends all over Middle Earth, it should be no wonder why she wanted to return and bring back the brewery's homey and fun-filled atmosphere to the Shire..

Hobbits and friends who have worked here before are welcome to return as Brewers. However, there is a very good chance that former Brewers will rise up in rank very quickly.
Please join us today for a tour of the re-opened brewery, which will be followed by a wine and ale tasting!

Potential Ranks:
Apprentice
Brewer
Master Brewer
Lead Brewer

Thread Rules
Please keep posts over 200 characters.
No godmoding.
That's it!

[Istya Alassea]

Ales

Almond Ale
A dark, creamy ale that complements any rich meat dish. Lightly vanilla-flavored, with the vanilla coming right from the almond.
Brandywine Ale
A rich and tart ale brewed with the taste of lavender, chamomile, rosehips and elderberry. Straight from Brandywine's famous pubs.
Christmas Ale
A deep bodied, rich red ale that shall warm you up very pleasantly on winter nights, due to its rich honey and strawberry taste. Highly spiced with cinnamon. Goes well with pork, ham and turkey stuffing dishes. First brewed by Samwise Gamgee’s great-gaffer, from the hobs of the Ivy Bush.
Green Dragon Golden Ale
A rich ale bright as honey flavored by heather flowers, elderberry and some apple. One of Pippin Took's favorite drinks from the Green Dragon.
Mocha Delight
A rich, thick and smooth dark ale with tons of cocoa flavoring. Best to drink on a cold night -- or when you just need chocolate! One of the delights of the Brockenborows.
Pumpkin Ale
A rich, thick and spicy amber characterized by its mild pumpkin juice flavoring, hops, and hint of rich molasses. First brewed during the Shire’s first fully celebrated harvest season in the 2nd Age.
Raspberry Walnut Ale
A lively, rich, full-bodied amber ale, characterized by its spicy raspberry taste and thick, smooth walnut taste. Best served with ham, pork, or heavy soup dishes.
Spiced Orange Ale
A light but savory ale blend of chamomile, coriander and orange peel. Great with fall dishes, such as pumpkin pie and roasted turkey.
Strawberry Ale
A light, amber ale with a sweet strawberry taste. Great to savor with light pasta or chicken dishes. This is the Brewery's very first original recipe... as well as the ale that gave the Brewery its name!
Sunflower Ale
A favorite in the Eastfarthing due to its tribute to its local farmers' growing of sunflowers. The taste of rosemary and dried lemon peel makes the drinker think of sunflower fields and bright sunny days.

Wines

Cherry Apple Wine
A thick and heady red apple wine, accented with cherry flavoring and some cinnamon shavings. A southern Green Hill Country favorite, often requested at its pubs for wedding anniversaries and birthday celebrations.
Fallen Leaves Wine
A flavorful, crisp white wine, that will taste slightly different to you at every sip. Although this wine is primarily characterized by peach and lemon taste,hints of black raspberry and of fresh mint will also emerge from it on occasion. This drink is an adventure all its own.
Farmer Maggot’s Barley Wine
Tart and sweet malt wine, with the freshly farmed tastes of pear, orange and lemon. A hint of raisin gives this drink quite a richness!
Galadriel's Mirror
A thick, dry and creamy red wine tinged with peppermint and the light flavor of elderberries. Great with steaks and porks.
Glowing Strawberry Wine
A warmth-giving, heady amber-red wine, which is thick with honey and spicy on the tongue. The strawberry flavoring makes this drink a delightful surprise for those who enjoy the Brewery’s Strawberry Ale, as it is a different take on the recipe. Great with rich meat or heavy cheese dishes.
Icy Brandy Wine
A syrupy sweet, flavorful red dessert wine, best if accompanied with a light ice cream or pie. Tinged with brandy and honey for a medium-bodied taste.
Old Winyard Wine
A deep, full-bodied red wine enriched with the strong mixed taste of apples, cherries and strawberries. Originally a favorite of the Dunedain, hobbits took this recipe in and made it their own during the 2nd Age. The Old Winyard is now a Shire classic that may be mixed with cinnamon or bits of basil, based upon request.
Oranges and Lemons
A sweet, crisp white wine that will go perfectly with almost any salad or vegetable dish. This wine remains a favorite in much of the Southfarthing.
Orange Rose Wine
Another tribute to the tangy taste of oranges, but with a slightly salted raspberry taste to it. A hint of mint with it is highly suggested.
Strawberry Wine
Sweet and refreshing drink with strawberries, green grapes, a little bit of lemon, and a dash of honey for taste.
The Tuckborough Toast
A thick, tart amber wine, flavored by a triple blend of apricots, walnuts and pears. A recipe favorite of the Took family that likely came from the hobbits’ Wandering Days. Remains a wine favorite among the pubs of Tuckborough.
White Grape Peach Wine
A light, crisp amber wine, flavored primarily by peaches and just a wee bit of sugar. A delight any time of the year and with almost any meal. First brewed in Isengard by Radagast the Brown.


Stouts, Meads, Lemonade and Cider

Chocolate Stout
A rich and indulgent drink for chocolate lovers, due to its brewing of deep, dark melted chocolate with light barley and over-ripened hops.
Maple Mead
Tannic, medium-bodied, and flavored by oranges and the rich sap of the maple tree. This unique, flavorful honey mead will please all of the senses on cold, fall or wintry nights. This recipe comes from the inns and pubs all over Buckland.
Lavender Lemonade
A sweet and sparkling lemonade, first steeped in lavender flavoring before tinged with slight touches of lemon. Perfect to serve chilled over the spring and summer seasons.
Hot Spiced Cider
Rich with apple and nutmeg flavoring, this cider is rich and spicy. Perfect to warm up with or for a good, flavorful swish in the mouth.

[Istya Alassea]

As Istya approached the Strawberrystar Brewery's doorway a second time, she felt a sudden wave of gratefulness and even intimidation wash over her. Was she really doing this? Now that she had more time to devote to it, she hoped her poor showing last time wasn't about to affect such a wonderful, long-standing business.

This time, though, she turned right back around and then flipped the "We're Open For Business" sign over one of the door's main windows. She then put on an apron and headed over to the storage room for the fruits she had found the day before. Red grapes, strawberries, elderberries ... this had been a good crop! She took the fruits over to a sink-and-stove station, and she used its free surface where she could put down her fruit. She decided she would start off with the strawberries, so she took out a freshly cleaned knife from a drawer to start cutting the strawberries into halves.

Suddenly, Istya realized she had forgotten one thing. She ran back up to the front of the brewery, where she quickly put together another sign that would say, "Come today for a winemaking lesson!"

[Afird Splitax]

It seemed to Bikki that he had come full circle and was back in the Shire where his adventure first started. Bikki and Miss Torypory, his racing badger, had raced through the green countryside a few moons ago. They hadn't been victorious, alas, but the fun was in the racing when it came down to it. He then crated up his badger and shipped her home via two dwarf friends (Alf and Duf). Soon he was off to the Kingdom of Elves (Rivendell) for a grand awards party. He could not say much about his experience in said land, for the wine flowed freely, and all was in a haloed white sparkling sea of stars that seemed to swim around his head constantly. He did remember grinning excessively. He was happy now to be on the homeward road after all his adventures.
He stood on the road before the Brewery and read the sign: "We're Open For Business" He knew before he made his way home, he would have to prove that all had been worth the trip. Learning a trade ( on top of learning how to lose at badger racing and drinking wine) would keep the dwarven tongues from wagging when he did reach home.
Upon opening the door, he saw a hobbit lass turn over another sign. This one read, "Come today for a winemaking lesson!" He was in luck then.
And so opening the door, he walked in and bowed low. He then said to the pretty hobbit (@Istya Alassea), "Greetings! Bikki at your service! I would like to sign up for the winemaking lessons if you please!"

[Istya Alassea]

After walking two steps away from the doorway, Istya heard the front door of the Strawberrystar Brewery quickly open up again behind her. She twirled back around on her tiptoes and then waved at the dwarf who she now noticed was entering the building.

"Hi, Bikki!" she said with a wave after hearing the dwarf guest's name, gesturing him into the Brewery's large kitchen area. There were three rows of four sink-and-stove stations, and she tilted her hand to a few stations, both to the left and right of her own chosen station for the day. "I am glad to hear of your interest in our winemaking lessons. Please, find a station that you would like, and pull up a barstool. Then you may choose one of my fruits here. Would you like to help me with the grapes or the elderberries right now? I am working on my strawberry crop from the other day."

Istya showed the dwarf the drawer at her station where she had gotten her own knife, and then she started cutting up more of her strawberries. Then she started talking Bikki through the first step.

"Truthfully, the big first step is making sure all of your fruit is washed and then at least cut up in halves," she said, as she cut through a large, juicy strawberry that was big enough for her to take a bite out of one side. "I already washed these fruits yesterday, so that part is done. So right now is the cutting up part. I am just now starting on the strawberries. Oh, of course, I have to ask: which wine would you like to make today? I have elderberries, red grapes and strawberries on hand right now. I might go with another batch of the Old Winyard Wine, but I am still deciding. Which wine would you like to do?"

[Raisins]

Ruindil a tall man, and he smelled like salt and alcohol. The later was probably why he was at the brewery, having been told by Fuin about the small brewery in the Shire.

This had of course cause ALL sorts of questions to come spouting out of the pirate captains mouth and had lent to Fuin his wife drinking in excess and finally telling him that AS LONG as he behaved himself he should just go and look at it himself. Maybe get her some more wine after all of his inane questions - Like what's a hobbit, are they edible (which got him a smack from Mylien since they had a hobbit on one of their crews), where was the Shire, why was it called the Strawberrystar Brewery? WAS it shaped like a strawberry? Or a star? Or a cross between the two? He still had a goose egg on the back of his head from that one admittedly that he rubbed embarassed that he'd not seen Fuin coming with that back hand. The woman had a nasty swat on her.

"'Ello." He called ducking low so his tall frame could fit into the door of the brewery he wasn't so good at reading though he could tell the place was open, what the other sign said made little sense to him.... Lessons. lessons on what? Maybe since this place was full of hobbits he could get away with asking questions. "Are we having lessons today on how to drink wine?" He asked with a cheeky smile, but still looked around nervously as if Mylien or Fuin would be there to swat him.

[Afird Splitax]

Bikki stood at the entrance. The room was large and scented with fresh fruit. He looked at the sink and stove stations that the hobbit (Istya) pointed out and felt a smile of satisfaction curl his lips. His very own station would suit the somewhat scrupulous young dwarf fine. Placing his pack by the wall, he accompanies the hobbit in to the brewery, followed her instructions and obtained a stool and a knife. Then he paid attention as she began the lesson.

Firstly, the washing of the fruit was important; she pointed out. Bikki agreed and, using his knife, began to help her cut the strawberries. As he sliced, he spoke in a friendly manner.
"Ai, there could be all kinds of small insects hiding on them. When I worked with my mentor, Drifa, we would dump the whole lot in a tub full of water. "
He grinned at the hobbit and continued speaking.
"I was younger when I first started visiting her and helping her with her chores. I remember watching all the debris and insects float to the top of the water. I would pretend they were small boats that were sailing on the water. I, unlike most of my kin, love the water."
Lean in closer and speaking in a low voice as if what he was about to say was a secret, he said.
"I have been to the Tower Hills and the Haven beyond them. The waters there are vast and endless."
He nodded his head knowingly and, picking up a strawberry, popped it into his mouth as he had seen her do. He then smiled and responded to her question.
"I think I would like to make a batch of Old Winyard Wine. I have had it before at the Inn in Bree. It has a pleasant taste and is not too potent. Ai, not like the wine I had in Rivendell. That wine had me seeing stars float around my head!" he exclaimed as he grinned at the hobbit then cut another strawberry.

[Istya Alassea]

Istya whisked through the cutting up of five more strawberries when she noticed an elf entering the Brewery (Ruindil) @Fuin Elda . While considering his question, she waved to him with her free hand and then gestured to him that he should come a little closer to Bikki's station and her own.

"Good morning!" she initially responded, as she decided how she would answer his question. "I am going to take your question to be part-serious, part-funny, if that's alright. So, yes, in a sense - I am here to teach you how to drink wine!" She then punctured her response with a slight laugh. "Learning how to make wine could also teach you how to drink it."

She then brought the sack over to him of the freshly picked red grapes. "Bikki and I are slicing up the strawberries into halves right now. Would you like to help do the same with the red grapes? After we get this done, we can then take the grapes outside to bring to the wine vats. The other fruits can get temporarily get stored in our front area storage rooms."

Istya then turned back to Bikki@Afird Splitax , and nodded her head. "The Old Winyard it is then! One of our oldest recipes in the books. Not one I would expect to find in the Tower Hills, though it might be by now. We will just need to pick up some red apples and black cherries from the main gardens at some point today. We will also need some cinnamon and basil from the smaller garden just behind the brewery."

The hobbit lass then turned back to the strawberries in front of her, and started cutting up several more. "Would there be anything in particular the two of you would like to know about winemaking right now? Any initial questions? Please, ask away!"

[Raisins]

(@Istya Alassea Ruindil is not an elf he's a pirate of Gondor - or man he prefers pirate lol)

Ruindil smiled and hunched over being over 6 feet tall had its disadvantages in Hobbit buildings it seemed though technically there was enough room for him to stand but it felt like there wasn't. "A lass after me own heart, me names Ruindil" He said at the laugh that he got from the woman in charge. He looked to see if there was a seat that he could use not wanting to be bent over cutting grapes as Istya set a whole sack in front of him as well as a knife.

"Right." He said and began slicing the grapes fairly quickly, knife work was something he was use to though not normally on tiny little grapes. He had a wife for that, Fuin was the picky fickle one that would slice fruit up. He sat and listened that they'd have to take the grapes outside. "So what is Old Winyard?" He asked having not overly done a lot of wine drinking being more of a rum man himself but he was always trying to get nice things for his elf wife and if it was old it was probably good after all it had to stand a test of time for that right?

"Why are we cutting the fruit? Can't it all go in whole?" Ruindil asked honestly curious about why they were doing this fickle business as he sliced up the grapes and set them aside to cut more knowing he was asked for a reason and he was curious to know why. Perhaps he'd be able to get a bottle of this wine to take home then he could tell Fuin that he made it himself as well. Well at least partially made it himself.

[Afird Splitax]

While keeping up with the fast-paced hobbit, Bikki heard the door open. Turning from his strawberry slicing, he saw a tall man at the door. Grinning into his beard, he watched as the man ducked and entered the Brewery. For some reason, witnessing tall men stoop amused him. The stranger had a swagger that reminded the dwarf of men he had seen at the Inn at Bree. Sailors they were. He enjoyed immensely anything to do with the sea/water; hence the man intrigued him.
The Brewery Mistress greeting the newcomer and answered his questions. He seemed to be a 'cheeky' fellow with the smell of liquor wafting from him. Bikki thought he would also have a sore back from stooping over. He was, after all, a very tall chap. He sat down and began to slice the grapes (with excellent proficiency) that the winemaker dumped on the table, questioning why cutting was necessary. Glancing at the man from the corner of his eye, the young dwarf suspected many such questions. One did learn if one was inquisitive.
Before he could stand and greet the newcomer, the winemaker turned to him, pleased that his choice of wine was a good one and that they would soon have to pick apples and cherries—also some spices and herbs. Things were beginning to smell go already in the dwarf's mind.

It seemed that some folk did not practice the habit of introducing themselves when entering a room. Being a polite dwarf, he took it upon himself to be cordial. Rising from his chair, he bowed low and said. "Greetings! Bikki at your service! Welcome to the lesson! What is your name, my good man? Also, I would like to know how long one must wait before testing the wine?" he asked in response to the winemaker's remark.

[Istya Alassea]

(Thanks for the correction, @Fuin Elda! I had a lot on my mind the week of my last post, with a final to study for and a birthday party I was throwing for my daughter. I am just now noticing you wrote "man.")

The hobbit lass was excited to hear the man and dwarf's questions, fresh in their minds already. She also sat back, amusedly, as she noticed Bikki taking stock of the man's height and stature as the man tried to make himself comfortable at a nearby sink and stove station. Istya did some self-reflection and realized her upbringing around elves made seeing this something that she was used to seeing by now. Her own house, as well as the Brewery, had been renovated long ago for folks much taller than she was.

Istya refrained from eating the strawberries in front of her as she cut up several more of them and then began answering the questions. The questions were indeed good ones, and she wanted to give thoughtful answers.

"In regards to your grape cutting question, sir @Fuin Elda , it is true that most folks stomp on grapes to get their juices flowing," she admitted while hoping the man would answer the dwarf's question about the man's name. She turned bright red when she suddenly realized she had not asked the man for his name. "Oh, gee, pardon my manners! My name is Istya Alassea. I would hope to soon learn yours? But back to your question real quick, the thing is that we hobbits are not yet ones to wear shoes like the Men of Gondor and Rohan, and we believe in keeping everything made here - at the same time - sanitary. So we don't want to primarily rely on our feet to get the grape juices flowing. We prefer to cut the grapes into halves first before we hop into the grape vats with them. Doing this speeds the grape stomping process up and gives the grapes less time with our feet."

She took a moment to try and say her final thought to the question as tactfully as she could, while addressing both the dwarf and the man by looking down at her own feet. "And, yes, that does mean that anyone who wants to participate in the grape stomping will need to get their feet washed. We have a fresh source of water outside that we use for that, just behind the grape vats."

Istya then turned to Bikki@Afird Splitax as she grabbed for the last round of strawberries in front of her. Due to Bikki's help, they were able to get through the strawberry cutting pretty quickly.

"The quick answer to your question is, we taste test constantly! We have to make sure the wine's ingredients are brewing nicely all throughout the winemaking process. However, what I think you mean, is when do we get the taste the final product before we know it is ready for shipping? Truthfully, what we are making today will not be ready for you to do a final taste by the end of the workday. All wines need to age by at least two years before the final taste test. The good news is we do have Old Winyarad in stock, so I will make sure you both get bottles of it before you leave. What we are making right now will just help to replenish our current stores."

Istya then turned to her current tutors, and grinned somewhat ceremoniously.

"The bigger question you asked is, What is the Old WInyard? The wine indeed has a long history, and as you may know, it was one of Bilbo Baggins' favorites. What we know is that it is a wine from the Southfarthing, and what we believe is that the wine was first produced in the town of Longbottom. We believe this because there are vineyards just eight miles away from the town, and it is the largest vineyard plot known to hobbits for far longer known to most hobbits that are currently alive. As you can probably imagine, legends about the wine have grown and grown over the years, and due to its popularity, many hobbit cities swiftly picked up the wine's production shortly after it became famous. But that is why the wine's origin is a little difficult to nail down now."

[Raisins]

(@Istya Alassea No worries at all I figured it was just a moment of tired brainage!)

Ruindil blinked at the dwarf that introduced themselves as Bikki and stated that they were at his service. Which was confusing for him, as most Dwarves were not fond of the sea and tended to very very much stay away from it so Ruindil was less acquainted with the proper response to this very nice and polite greeting (at least Ruindil was very certain it was a polite and formal dwarven greeting he knew that much) Fuin had taught him such things, being very very old and on good terms with many a dwarf as a smith. He was running through the list of 'how do I greet this person correctly' that Fuin had absolutely drilled into him when Istya answered his question, and paused on his name... Ruindil had not introduced himself, and he gave and awkward smile that made him look younger than he really was.

"I apologize" he said giving a bit of a bow back to Bikki who had bowed at him standing up (which meant for him being bowed a bit anyways so he bowed further so it didn't look like he was just ducking his head hoping to not hit his head on the ceiling which was ALMOST tall enough for him. He was still certain he'd hit it though. "Me name is Ruindil, and..." He finally settled on a response to the dwarf "'am at your service as well Master Dwarf." He looked to Istya and gave a nod to her as well before sitting back down. "Am not terribly use to not having me elf wife around when I am traveling away from the sea. She's a good bit better at niceties of the different people than me. She says she keeps me around to look pretty." He chuckled picked up the knife and returned to slicing his grapes.

Istyas comments on the grapes being sliced to lessen contact with ones feet made sense to him. He wondered if he even should He had no doubt his feet were half pickled from the constant salt spray... That or perhaps cured, one could never tell - it might not be the best to have that much salt go into the grape vat for stomping the sweet grapes. He did eyeball a few grapes he didn't get them often they didn't store so very well on ship but managed to not eat any he'd had a proper meal before he'd come he didn't need more food.

He of course couldn't hide the disappointment in his face when she said that they would not be able to take home a bottle of this particular vintage... that was the right word he was sure when they were done before he got an idea. "Ye said we can't take this particular brew home... I was rather hoping to take a bottle home for me elf wife that I 'elped make, she's rather hard to get anything for being older than the bloody hills I swear - an' tis the only thing I could think of that I know she doesn' know to do 'erself." He cut a few more grapes and looked at Istya a bit sheepishly hoping the hobbit would understand his dilemma and would help a poor sailor out. "I think." He added. Goodness knows she probably did but didn't want to bother with growing grapes and the work of making wine with his luck. "And if it's 'orrible we'll just blame me and 'ave a laugh on it."

He was quite interested in learning the Old Wineyard tale, mostly so he could tell it to his wife the story as best he could as he sliced away at the grapes wondering if he should even begin to volunteer to stomp on the grapes when they finally got to that point.

[Afird Splitax]

"Oh, I have stomped before!" Bikki exclaimed after hearing Istya (the hobbit had finally revealed her name) explain why she cut the grapes and the reason why they could not test the wine right away.
" My mentor Drifa once brought me to a tree grove where we stomped on rowan berries to exfoliate our feet," he continued.
"Mind you, I did this only to please her, for she is always kind to me. I do not care much if my feet are smooth and silky feeling."
He turned to the sailor who had, with a courteous bow and youthful grin, introduced himself as, Ruindil.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ruindil! What do you think of smooth and silky feet? I suppose that one does not stomp berries much at sea, but, yes, you must do some other kind of stomping?"

He sat on the edge of his seat. He was waiting for a reply, wondering who would start the first tale—torn between hearing the history of the Old Wineyard (why he had stopped at the brewery in the first place, to learn everything about winemaking ) and stories of the sea.

[Raisins]

Ruindil for his part kept slicing away diligently at the grapes when Bikki spoke about stomping. He'd never heard of such a thing, stomping on berries to make them smooth and silky. Granted his feet were smooth and silky without it so perhaps that's why he'd never had to go looking for a way to make it so either of his wives would not be repelled by his feet. HIs manners some days were a different story.

"Pleasure to meet ya as well Bikki. And I like smooth feet, and honestly pretty sure me wives and me husband have em as well." He paused thinking "I've not actually checked I know me pirate wife does, ba salt sand 'n sea will keep yer feet soft. And the other two be elves they are always soft I thinks, 'ne'r really thought on it afore." He said with a shrug. and pushed a bunch of cut grapes away from himself so that he had more room before grabbing another bunch. "Not sure how good me salty feet will be fer the taste may let ye and the hobbit lass do that bit." He said with a chuckle that lifted his cheeks and gave his whole face a flush rosy glow.

"The stomping I do at sea is as me wife would say 'nah for polite company.' " He even made a falsetto to mimic the elf woman he loved. If she heard it she'd have him dragged about by his beard by her war horse. "But we do fight a many corsairs and Umbarians that like to come dis way. Me wife even gave us permission to stomp on dem Moles of Tol... someting or other. Some elf name for an island full of elves as long as they were flying der kings flag. She's none too keen on the likes of them though we aren't allowed to relieve them of more than their ore or coinage."

[Istya Alassea]

While cutting through the last bit of strawberries in front of her, Istya listened to Ruindil and Bikki ask a few questions and talk with each other. She kept the questions in mind as she finished up with the fruit and then pulled out a pot from the station's cabinets. She put the pot on top of the stove, poured some water into it, and then pushed the sliced strawberries into the pot. Then she addressed the Old Winyard question again.

"Most of the Old Winyard's history - that we can trace - goes back to Tuckborough," Istya started out by saying, as she started taking the currently cut up grapes from Ruindl's station to put them into a large bowl that she had gotten from the brewery's back wall. "From what we know, a Brandybuck ran the local inn and did a lot of friendly business with the vintners in town. Bardo Brandybuck was his name, and part of the story was that he was enjoying an old apple ale with a local vineyard owner when he decided to find a way to put the ale flavors into another wine. Unfortunately, that's all we know for certain about how the wine started. Once he began offering the drink at his inn, many other breweries and inns got in on the business as the drink quickly became popular all over the four farthings. Due to the drink's high success, the name of the wine went from Winyard to Old Winyard after a couple of hundred years."

Once Bikki and Ruindil began starting up with their foot stories, Istya unconsciously raised one of her own feet upwards to give it a glance. It didn't look so bad now, but it was definitely getting time for that dreaded feet washing.

"Bikki, why don't we help Ruindil finish up with the grapes?" she asked, moving to Ruindil's station to pick up some more grapes to work on. She put them back on her own station, quickly rinsed her knife, and then worked on the red grapes as well. "Once these are done, we can head out to the wine vats for the grape stomping."

"Oh, and I should say this again," she offered, as she tasted a grape to make the sure the taste was there. Indeed it was! "While it is true that what we are doing can't be ready for drinking by the end of the work day, I do have many bottles of other Old Winyards where the exact same process that we are doing now was followed - to the tee. I have a great number who are appropriately aged now, and you can take a few bottles home. For each of you!"

For a quick moment, she ran out of the Brewery real quick to start up the faucets that brought in the brewery's water source. Istya then came back in to help with the cutting of the many red grapes. "If you are not comfortable with the stomping, you don't have to do it, by the way. But, if you are up for it, please feel free to head outside to get your feet washed. Sound good?"

[Raisins]

Ruindil looked a bit defeated at the fact that Istya was insisting he take the aged wine home. Maybe he'd try again later. Or he'd steal a bottle that he did want after all he was a pirate his mood perked up at that thought as he continued to cut the grapes before him. It was now going much faster now that she was helping and Bikki would be soon as well. At least he thought the story about where the wine had come from was interesting. A couple hundred years was a fairly long time for someone like him. His wife... that was probably half a blink of an eye for her he figured. He looked at Bikki who seemed quite nice and fun to talk to and gave a smile.

"So Bikki - did ye come ta learn why the Old Wineyard was called that or do ye have other motivations like me?" He asked with a smile. "A nice Dwarven Lass or Lad at home?" He asked honestly curious after all it wasn't terribly often that he got to meet Dwarves as had already been made obvious by his hesitation in greeting the dwarf while trying to be polite (though only if they had caught the hesitation.) Ruindil looked up as Istya returned mentioning that if he was willing as well as Bikki to do the grape stomping that they should go and wash their feet.

He looked down at his feet still hidden away in his salty crusty boots and sighted the grapes were finished being sliced it seemed and now it was onto the next step.

"Right. Can't say I didn't do e'ry step if I don't do e'ry step." With that he set the knife down carefully and stood up heading to go outside to wash his feet. Once outside in the open he was able to stand up and stretch a bit before taking a deep breath and attempting to pull of the leather boots that he was wearing. Several minutes of hopping later his feet were free and his pants rolled up to his knees. Revealing smooth well groomed feet, a bit pale perhaps but otherwise rather nice to look at, if a little salty. Salt did after all such a good job at exfoliating now if the water could wash away the years and years of salt that his feet was constantly in it would be a good thing for the wine.

[Afird Splitax]

Bikki listened politely to Istya's history of the Winyards ( he thought apple wine sounded like a refreshing wine). He stowed the info away if there might be testing done later as part of the training. He then turned to Ruindil to respond to his questions.

'No, I do not have a mate,' he said.
As he listens to the seaman's talk, he found it very queer that the man had wives and a husband. Queer and lucky. For there were few dwarf women to choose from of his race. He was still young and may attract one of them yet. Or, he may become so infatuated with his craft as he grew older that he will not want one. As for a husband, well, that never crossed his mind. Maybe a husband could be his manservant? It was a strange idea and one he would have to think about.

Meanwhile, the tales of fighting brighten the young dwarf's smile. He was a young dwarf after all and still consider tender for his age.
'Fighting at sea must indeed be tricky business, eh Ruindil? What with the ships bobbing on the waves and all. Have you ever slipped on the deck? And what is a poop deck? Is that a kind of privy?' Not even stopping to take a breath, he went on. 'And what island is this that is full of Elves? I have never heard of it? Are they savages?'

But before he could have his questions answered and tales told (it was after all a wine-making lesson, not a tall-tale-sea-adventure- lecture, he took the grapes that Istya brought over and began to help slice them. He was pleased to hear that they would be getting a bottle of the old Winyards when the lesson was over.

When the hobbit lass once more addressed the washing of the feet before the stomping, Bikki became enthusiastic and, having finished the slicing, rose to his feet and followed the tall man out the door. Once outside, he took his dwarf boots off and gave his feet a good scrubbing. He was sure no one wants dwarf toe-jam in their vintage.

[Istya Alassea]

A couple of grapes nearly escaped the counter at Istya hearing the questions and stories that Ruindil and Bikki asked of each other. Honestly, in some way, she wished that she could join in on this interesting conversation about Ruindil's tales at sea. However, Istya had never been on a boat traveling the seas before, so she could only imagine being on one. The only question she could answer of their questions was about her marital status - and even if she were to bring up her husband at home, the dwarf and young man would probably tune her out if she started talking about her active one-year old.

Once Istya finished cutting up the red grapes in front of her, she then put all the grapes into the three now available baskets nearby and then joined Ruindil and Bikki outside. She got all the grapes into the closest grape vat and then turned to watch the men with their feet-washing. After Bikki got his feet washed off, she then joined in at the water faucet and used the water and nearby soap to wash off her feet. Ahh, it was nice and refreshing. If only she could keep playing in the water for a little while longer, it would make for a nice day!

"Ready to hit the water, Ruindil?" she asked him by calling out, as she stepped into the grape vat. "And, Bikki, you are free to hop into the vat whenever you like now."

Istya then began to think up one of her favorite grape-stomping songs, and she started to sing along to it as she stomped to its rhythm around the vat for the first time.

"Never will I get over that beautiful, wonderful face;
That smiled at me through the windows
At my great, dear sister's place;
I don't want to see her go away
Or go against my father's side;
Oh why can't she marry me
If I do not own a dime!"

[Afird Splitax]

Bikki enjoyed his time at the brewery; the smile that turned his lips up at the corners indicated this. As he watched Isyta bring out the baskets of fruit and dump them in the vat, he wondered about her. She appeared to be motherly in her mannerism. But as she washed her feet at the faucet, he couldn't help but notice her youthfulness, her longing to stay and play in the water. He wondered if she had children of her own.

The hobbit's feet scrubbed and washed; she got into the vat and invited them to join her. As Bikki stepped into the vat, he heard Isyta begin to sing a stomping song; it was pretty rhythmic and went nicely with the up and down motion of the stamping. He could feel the grapes beneath his feet, cold and wet. He began to stomp to the singing and was soon squishing grapes with enthusiasm.

"This grape stomping is fantastic fun, Isyta! How long do we have to keep at it?"

[Raisins]

Ruindil followed the hobbit lass outside and watched as both Bikki and her washed their feet off. With a sigh he pulled his boots off, indeed a bit of fine sand came out with his feet one could never wholly get away from sand when one was a pirate it seemed once it was in your boots it was in them forever. That said it did mean his feet were generally free from callouses and were nice and smooth if not salty as all get out. He watched waited until it was his turn and began the task of scrubbing his feet with the soap and water, he managed to roll his pants up to past his knees and scrubbed the length of his lower legs as well before joining the hobbit and the dwarf in the barrel. He stepped in carefully and the look upon his face was... priceless.

His eyes went wide and his mouth opened in a shocked look as cold wet fruit squelched beneath his feet. "Bilge rats an' leaks" He squeaked out in shock at the cold wet a good two octave higher than his normal tone. He did manage to get his other foot in and stood there for a few moments looking at both Istya and Bikki as they seemed to be having fun with this. He thought it was like being in the bilge of a ship that was leaking it was cold and not so pleasant he was a captain he'd not done that in many a year but one never forgot that cold wet feeling. The difference was he suppose that this wasn't cold grimy salt water from the sea. He began moving his feet and soon found that the unstableness of the whole mass beneath him felt a good bit like being on the sea.

"This be familiar." He muttered as Istya sang a song "Thar even be a grape stompin shanty!" he said with a chuckle watching Istyas exuberance.