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Health & Fitness

It Takes a Vineyard

Making wine can be a lot like raising a child - there's a lot of nature and nurture at play.

When I talk about wine, I often find myself making comparisons to the human condition. I've found that it’s often the best way to help people understand the "mysterious" topic of wine – and sometimes it helps me to understand wine even better. The similarities are quite striking.

Take for example, the life of a vineyard. Grapevines have the same average life span as humans - approximately 70-80 years. In the beginning, young vines can produce a great deal of fruit yet wine quality may be lacking. Older vines tend to decline in output in their later years, yet can produce quality fruit and wines that are profoundly wise and deep. Sound familiar?

The concept of terroir becomes much clearer when discussed in sociological terms. Vines (like people) will react to the environmental conditions around them. Both vines and people are biologically the same the world over, yet grown and raised in many different places, take on the characteristics of where they live. For people it is speech, customs and mannerisms; for vines, flavor, aroma and body. Over very long periods of time both will begin to genetically evolve to become more suited to their surroundings. Both will also be affected by outside factors as well as the influence of others around them. And you thought terroir was just this crazy French concept that only related to wine…

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Grown and raised well, vines and people will last longer and produce better results over the long term. Mismanaged, neglected and abused, both can produce inferior results and come to a premature end.

 The analogy holds true when discussing wines in the bottle. Some start out young and attractive – better enjoyed in their youth - only to fade quickly, aging poorly and offering nothing later on. Others might be cantankerous and deficient in many ways during their youth only to bloom later in life, becoming all that they were expected to be. There are always the ones that start out crummy and end worse. And of course, we have that segment of the population that truly has their parents to blame. They might have been good grapes when they began but through bad winemaking (i.e. parenting) they became rude, obnoxious and spoiled, providing little enjoyment. The best wines will always be beautiful and vibrant when young but will age gracefully and still be attractive and giving in their later years. 

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I'll be writing more about the association between the human condition and how it relates to wine - where it's raised, and how its grown and the ways it can be guided, both good and bad. For winemaking - just like good parenting - requires a delicate combination of love, intelligent guidance, timing and discipline and where often a wise, gentle hand - without too much intervention - can be the best combination for success.

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