Last week we posted a sneak peek at the making of our video to be Murphy-Goode’s Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent. The video has been posted so go take a look and vote, please. We think its pretty funny, and we bet you will too. You can also learn more about us and why we should be Murphy-Goode’s pick on our A Really Goode Hire page.
UPDATE (5/26): The video has been posted so please watch & vote!
“This job is so for you!” That’s our friend Nikki talking after we told her we were applying for a Really Goode Job as Lifestyle Correspondents for Murphy-Goode Winery in Healdsburg, CA. It’s a sweet gig (get the details here) but they’re not just giving it away. Nope. All applicants have to submit a 60 second video.
Mexico’s wine industry is growing and improving (La Cetto petit syrah has become a favorite), but it’s centered mostly in the Valle de Guadalupe area of the Baja Peninsula. Here in central Mexico tequila is king. Since tequila has an official geographic denomination, like chianti and champagne and scotch does, only stuff made in approved areas can legally be called tequila. Which brings us to the Cascahuin Tequila Distillery in El Arenal, Jalisco, Mexico just north of Guadalajara and 15 miles from the town of Tequila itself right on the Ruta de Tequila.
We figured Murphy-Goode will get plenty of video applications shot in vineyards, so why bore them with another one? Instead we headed into a rolling field of gorgeous blue agave with our trusty Flip Video camera and a stack of cue cards and our ipod and a whole crew of supporters including Javier there in the background, Carlos (whose family owns Cascahuin) and our littlest guest star, Tedeo.
It was hot, it was dusty and blue agave is brutally sharp (yes, there was blood) but we had a ball shooting our application video complete with our own theme song written by our friend, guitarist Scott Metzger, art help from our friend Iliana and post-production polishing courtesy of Nikki, who was the very first one to come right out and say that this job is so for us.
The video is finished and will be posted soon.
Until then, here are some outtakes to tide you over and you can get even more details about our quest for a Really Goode Job at areallygoodehire.net.
.
UPDATE (5/26): The video has been posted so please watch & vote!
[geo_mashup_map]
A visit to Central Mexico wouldn’t be complete without some tequila time so we happily head to El Arenal on the Ruta de Tequila between Guadalajara and the town of Tequila for a look at the Cascahuin Tequila Factory.
The Cascahuin tequila factory in El Aranal, Jaliso, Mexico, which is about 15 miles from the town of Tequila
We’ve been to tequila factories before but what we immediately like about this one is its size: not so small that there’s nothing going on but not so big that you feel like you’re in the clutches of corporate tequila.
Splitting the agave hearts or "pinas" before packing them into the steam ovens where they're cooked to sweet perfection.
During our visit we got to see all of the stages of tequila production, from a demonstration of how the blue agave is pruned and harvested to the halving of the harvested agave hearts (above) before they’re stuffed into massive steam oven to cook.
Agave, fresh out of the oven, being sent to the extractor which crushes it to get all the liquids and sugars out.
Video – Roasted Agave is removed from the ovens and placed on a conveyor belt where it passes through a shredder. The Juice and liquids are then removed. These liquids, called mosto are then put in a vat to ferment, where the sugars are converted into alcohol.
Tequila mosto bubbling during fermentation. See video here.
Previously cooked agave was being crushed and juiced and juice from a previous crushing was happily fermenting away in massive vats of bubbling, sweet-smelling liquid. Watching these various steps it’s hard to believe the end product is so clean and delicious, but it is!
The still room.
After double distilling totally clear blanco tequila is produced and ready to drink or put in barrels for varying lengths of time to create reposado (rested) or anejo (aged) tequila. This stage is like aging wine and lets the tequila take on the flavors and colors of the barrels and smooth out any rough edges.
One of the barrel rooms where blanco tequila is aged for varying periods of time to make either reposado (rested) or anejo (aged) tequila.
The Cascahuin Tequila Factory has a grassy and shaded back garden that makes a wonderful spot to sip some straight tequila or make yourself a Paloma (Squirt and tequila) or a Charro Negro (Coke and tequila).
Some of Cascahuin's products including blanco, joven, reposado and anejo tequilas.
Copyright © 2006-2012 Trans-Americas Journey.All rights reserved. Privacy Statement
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Youtube
RSS
GooglePlus
StumbleUpon