From Vines to Wines
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| Courtesy of Morgue.com - roholt |
I love wine, particularly red wine, but also
some whites. I am a very moderate drinker, one or two glasses occasionally with
a meal, that’s all I can tolerate. But I do enjoy the taste. A glass of good
wine makes a simple meal special. So, it wasn’t a great surprise when the topic
of wine and vineyards were beginning to sneak into one of my novels, my WIP.
The more I read about the growing of grapes and
the making of wine the more I realize what an amazing process it is, one that
extends over many years. It’s a fascinating and risky undertaking and much can go
wrong. Like with other types of farming, bad weather at a crucial time in the
growth stage of the vines and grapes can ruin a harvest. Pests are a constant
threat. Even in ideal conditions—such as the excellent climate in California,
for instance—a bountiful harvest is no guarantee. I think it is a gift from the
gods (or God, whatever your choice of belief).
The process begins by choosing the right place
for the vineyard. Then comes the preparation and testing of the soil, the
building of the trellis, the selection and planting of the proper grapes,
followed by thinning, pruning, fertilizing and so on and so on. And once the
grapes are ripening, a new cycle begins. Grapes are harvested and the winemaker
can begin to show his artistry.
From the little reading I have done and from my
yet limited observation, I gather that making wine is both an art and a science
and involves the joint effort of Mother Nature and the ingenuity and care of women and
men.
There is a lot of snobbery around wines, mainly encouraged by some consumers. The men and women who do the actual work and who cultivate the land and make the wine are
hardworking people who love their craft and are passionate about it.
Making a good bottle of wine takes time, many years of working, waiting, and praying. Waiting is a rare art in today’s fast-paced world. Everything needs to be “right now.” We don’t like to wait. But the grapes don’t care and the fermentation takes time and can’t be rushed. Too much manipulation from winemakers can ruin a good wine. Waiting—a truly lost art.
Writing a good book takes time, too. In the era
of independent publishing and eBooks and websites and blogs, I often hear the
advice: write as many books as possible and write them fast or you’ll miss the
boat.
Okay, so I’ll take the next one.
There are some unusually talented writers who
can crank out several quality books a year. They are few and far between. Most
of us need time to write, to gather our thoughts, to let our creativity simmer
or, in winemaking terms, to let the story ferment, bubble, and rise.
I dedicate this post to the artists and writers
and to the lovers of wine, but in particular to my father, who taught me to
appreciate wine in moderation, to my mother who acquired a taste for wine late
in her life and enjoyed one glass of red wine with dinner every night, and to
my father-in-law, who learned to appreciate wine during a trip through Europe
and with whom I shared a glass whenever I visited him.
Enjoy your wine, but remember this quotation from
Eubulus on the consumption of wine (which I found in From Vines to Wines by Jeff Cox):
"Three
bowls only do I serve for the temperate:one for health, which they empty first;
the second for love and pleasure;
and the third for sleep.
When this bowl is drunk up, wise guests go home.
The fourth bowl is ours no longer, but belongs to violence;
the fifth to uproar;
the sixth to drunken revel;
the seventh to black eyes;
the eighth is the policeman’s;
the ninth belongs to billiousness;
and the tenth to madness and hurling the furniture."
- Eubulus (circa 375 B.C.)
