2 minute read
San Simeon
San Simeon is known for the famous Hearst Castle. But if you go on the other side of Highway 1, there is a small beach, a pier, and a winery named after William Randall Hearst. This small winery holds a story that is not well known. But it is a story that when you hear it, you will likely not forget it.
It takes place in 1982. A young lady named Julia was the youngest daughter of the winery’s owner. She was well known by all the workers at the winery. Everyone loved to see her bright smile. One day, Julia wanted to play high in the rafters of the winery and watch the workers from above. She would look down, but she would not say a word. She knew that if she were caught in the rafters, she would be in trouble by her father.
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When Julia did not see any workers, she would take the time to change loca-
tions. That way, no one would hear her moving around. She reached a location just above a barrel of freshly finished Chardonnay wine. She knew her father would be there soon to do the taste test, so she decided to get right above to get a good view.
When nobody was around, she made her move on the rafters. She made it to her location. And then, the unexpected happened. Julia lost her footing and fell on the rafter hitting her head. A small gash in her forehead dropped blood into the barrel of Chardonnay. Julia laid unconscious while the blood in the wine dispersed in the barrel giving it a rose color, rather than the pale yellow it was supposed to be.
About ten minutes had passed since Julia fell. She remained unconscious and the bleeding had stopped. Her father and some other workers arrived to taste the wine. Unknown to Julia’s accident, her father poured a small taste for himself. The first thing he noticed was the blush color. “I thought this was a Chardonnay?” he asked his winemaker. He then took a sip.
The winemaker had a confused look on his face. He turned to his assistant to ask him why a blush was brought in and not the Chardonnay when he heard the captain say, “This wine is delicious.”
The winemaker smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Captain. We made it special for you.” He then turned to his assistant to make sure he did not give away the accident of not bringing the Chardonnay.
Your turn. Finish the story:
