There are few things in the word that give me the satisfaction that both writing and winemaking do.

A perfect day seems to fall in line with a schedule. Up at 4 am. Coffee. Turn on the old iTunes and open a blank document or something I’ve been working on: an article for www.IntoWine.com, tasting notes, a story, a poem, a screenplay, a website …

Today, I added a little winemaking, even before the writing began, or the coffee had finished brewing… Unfortunately, it’s because I’ve been nursing a stuck fermenter for the past 24 hours, the buildupinoculat’… this is precision winemaking at it’s core.

Reinoculating a stuck fermenter, especially one that’s so close to dry can be the most technical, time-sensitive, patience-inducing cause for prayer that a winemaker does. In my case, I have an almost perfect batting average of getting these bad boys to finish primary and ML. It’s taken years of practice, but… knock on wood.

Everything checks out. The winery is quiet. The buildupinoculat’ is percolating. Carbon dioxide gas is blanketing the headspace and the surface of the wine is dancing, popping, “Happy.”

Back home now, a cup o’joe in hand, I settle in to work on a screenplay I’ve been chipping away at – part mystery, part love story, and anatomy of American film – and a troublesome scene whittles into shape.

At 70 pages in, I find myself intrigued more and more with each character, their individual stories, the inevitable outcome, the end … which, if I play each card just right, could evolve into something pretty sweet.