Chapter 31 Wine making
In the room with the doors and windows closed, there was a strong smell of alcohol.
At the same time, there is the sound of gurgling after the wine boils.
"Come out, come out!" Gavin shouted excitedly as he watched the amber liquid flowing out of the copper pot.
Samwell was rather calm. After all, he had seen such a scene countless times in his previous life. However, his eyes were still staring straight at the exit of the copper pot.
As more and more liquid flowed out, Gavin couldn't help saying:
"My lord, can I have a taste?"
"Can."
Getting permission, Gavin immediately brought a small cup, took some distilled liquor, and immediately poured it into his mouth eagerly.
The next second, I saw the young butler tightly closed his eyes, his facial features were squeezed together, his body trembled slightly for a moment, and finally he couldn't help coughing:
"Cough cough...cough cough... big, my lord, what a strong wine!"
Seeing this, Samwell also took some wine in a small cup, put it on the tip of his nose and smelled it, and then put it in his mouth.
The strong taste exploded in the mouth, like a tumbling flame, stimulating every taste bud.
In fact, the taste of the wine that has just been distilled is not good, the taste is too spicy, and the aroma is not enough.
But Samwell laughed out loud.
Because, this is exactly the taste he has been striving for.
After the two steps of blending and aging of this distilled wine, the wine absorbs enough oak aroma and combines with the substances produced by the oxidation of its own tannins to form the unique and wonderful aroma of brandy.
He believes that this taste will definitely conquer the nobles of Westeros, making brandy a must-have at their banquets and a treasure in the wine cellar.
Seeing that the experiment was successful, Samwell was finally relieved and asked Gavin:
"Has Buso's son joined the guard?"
"Joined, my lord, I will do it myself."
"very good."
Gavin peeked at Samwell, and said hesitantly:
"Big, my lord, I have stuffed one more person into the guard..."
"Who?" Samwell's face showed no joy or anger.
"A savage named Ucha..." Gavin became more and more disturbed.
"Huya Village?"
"Yes."
"Tell me, why did you do this?" Actually Samwell was not angry.
Gavin was his attendant at the beginning, and now he has become the steward of the territory, but as his confidant, he should have some privileges.
What's more, he also took the initiative to confess to himself.
"He has an older sister named Oona who treats me very well and even gave me a pair of tiger leather gloves..."
Sam Well suddenly understood, and said with a smile:
"Have you taken a fancy to this girl?"
Seeing that Samwell was not angry, Gavin secretly heaved a sigh of relief and nodded.
"This is a good thing. Pick a date yourself, and I will personally host the wedding for you."
"Thank you, my lord!"
"After you get married, Oona will be in charge of operating the still."
"Yes, my lord!" Gavin immediately understood, "I will tell her to keep it secret."
"Well. The raw material for making wine is mountain grapes. You can let the leaders go to the mountains to pick wild ones, but you have to start planning to plant them in batches. You probably don't understand this?"
Gavin shook his head.
"Then ask the savages, they should understand..." Samwell thought for a while, but shook his head, "Forget it, they probably don't understand, I'll teach it myself."
"Let the adults bother you."
Samwell waved his hand and continued:
"You go and organize the female savages who are married these days, and I will personally teach them how to grow mountain grapes, as well as the subsequent picking, juicing, and fermentation processes. Afterwards, you need your Wuna to do the distillation, and wait for the future The scale has expanded, and I will find some helpers for her. As for the storage later, I will first find carpenters to build a batch of oak barrels, and then you will arrange people to fill the wine."
After explaining this, Samwell thought for a while, and then urged:
"In addition, each process must be done by different people, and try to assign blood relations to the same process."
"Yes, my lord." Although Gavin didn't understand the intention of Samwell's move, he still nodded and wrote it down.
"This is to minimize the possibility of someone figuring out the entire brewing process." Samwell simply explained.
Of course, in fact, he is not worried that someone will be able to imitate the brandy quickly.
Because this process seems simple, but in fact there are many small details in it, which are lessons learned from years of practice. A little error will lead to a great change in flavor.
Inexperienced people are destined to take countless detours and spend a lot of time imitating.
What's more, he also mastered the manufacturing method of the core device of the still.
The blacksmith named Buso, he will never let this person leave Yingzui Island.
Gavin could also feel that Samwell attached great importance to this brewing technology, so he reminded:
"My lord, the blacksmith who made this distiller is a leader of Highland City. If he returns to the Mullendall family a year later..."
"Don't worry, he can't go back." Samwell said with a smile, "Not only him, but everyone who comes to Yingzui Island will be my people."
"But Viscount Martin of Highland City may not agree..."
"He'll agree, because I'll make an offer he can't refuse."
Gavin rubbed his head, as if he understood something, but he didn't dare to ask more.
Samwell didn't explain much, and instead said:
"I'm going to Qingting Island in three days. When the time comes, you will be in charge of the daily affairs here in Yingzui Island."
"Okay, okay, my lord." Gavin responded with some trepidation.
Although Gavin is now Samwell's housekeeper, he has long been used to obeying his master's orders in everything. Now that he suddenly has to make up his own mind, he is inevitably a little flustered.
"Don't be nervous." Samwell smiled and comforted, "It's fine as usual. If you have any doubts, just wait until I come back."
"Yes, my lord." Gavin thought for a while, then said with some worry, "My lord, if the savages call again and you're not here, I'm worried..."
"So you have to spread the news that I'm leaving as soon as possible."
"Ah?" Hearing Samwell's answer that was not what he asked, Gavin was stunned for a moment, then realized after a while, and suddenly realized, "My lord, did you pretend to leave just to lure those restless savages to attack Yingzui Island again?" ?”
"Yes, if they are smart, it would be best not to come. But if they really dare to come again, then I will take this opportunity to completely solve this hidden danger."
Gavin obviously breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "Okay, I will spread the news as soon as possible."
Samwell reminded again:
"However, I do want to go to Qingting Island. The food and living supplies in the territory are almost exhausted, and as the number of people in the territory increases, we must have a stable supply line. "
Gavin nodded and understood: "My lord, do you want to transport supplies from Qingting Island by sea?"
"Yes, my territory is in the Crimson Mountains. If it is too costly to travel by land, the sea route is the most suitable choice."
Actually, Samwell wanted to have a good chat with the lord of Arbor Island, Earl Paxter, in addition to opening up the sea transportation channel.
The pirate route that Mrs. Olenna arranged for him before must have included the participation of Earl Paxter. After all, it required the Arbor Island to send ships and sailors.
Of course, Samwell definitely doesn't need these things now, but he can talk about investment.
In addition, Arbor Island, as the most famous wine producing area in Westeros, is suitable for the first appearance of brandy.
(end of this chapter)