union a more perfect
One of my favorite movies, Bottle Shock, is
always say in my seminars, remember that grapes do not
about the then nascent California wine
turn into wine overnight!
industry’s victory over the French in a blind
With last week’s Solstice officially ushering in the
taste test celebrating the 1976 Bicentennial.
summer, we are reminded that to Every Thing There is a Season. The historic vote to legalize same-sex marriage
The film is based on the true story of a man who ditched his legal career to pursue a
in NY three days later was decades in the making; several societal changes and generations of progress had to occur in order to have the majority of the
dream of making the best possible wine. Jim
population now be ‘ripe’ for its acceptance, and we are
Barrett put his life into Chateau Montelena;
all stronger and better for having gone through the
to do so was a huge risk in which he had to
process.
have unwavering faith in himself and trust in
Since we are halfway through the year, be sure you are
the process of such a delicate, complex and
working internally and externally towards whatever
time consuming task where the results were
goals you set for yourself; know that as long as you
not necessarily guaranteed.
consistently do things that you love and care about you are fertilizing your life, making it as rich as possible.
As with any such journey, there were many twist and turns and ups and downs along the way, but in the end
Focus your thoughts, words and deeds in the direction
he triumphed not only in beating the French at their
you want to be going, knowing that all will come to
proudest export, but because of it blew the field wide
fruition with a perfect union of patience, persistence
open for quality wine to be produced in countries
and perseverance - in time and on time.
around the globe, and the world has never been the same.
You can’t put the cart before the horse, so if you’re feeling a little frustrated and impatient in pursuit of your
Orson Welles, in his famous commercials would say,
passions, give me a buzz and I’ll be a future sommelier
“We will sell no wine before its time.” It takes time for
explaining the uniqueness and quality of your vintage or
lasting success to develop, and there is no better
the politician that casts the deciding vote to make your
activity than viticulture to demonstrate that. There are
dream a reality!
cycles of planting, pruning, harvesting, fermenting and numerous other magical alchemical things that need to happen for that perfect glass to arrive at your table. As I
Article: Kristina Leonardi www.kristinaleonardi.com