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