the true meaning of contentment

as we are getting closer to the end of another harvesting season the word that springs to mind after this crazy time is contentment. it is always a season where normal life seize to happen and you survive the days on adrenaline. days that never have enough time to complete your daily task and the hope that it will not be too late if it is left till tomorrow. yet in all this turmoil to find contentment is such a great sense of achievement...and also purpose. my conviction defines contentment as: desiring what you already have. thus not to strive towards things that are unattainable. things that fill your worries to the level of unrealistic. issues and ideas that distract you from that which is in front of you. how often do you find yourself in that place of wanting to be somewhere else. or doing something else. after every harvest season a time of reflection is needed. this usually takes some time and is an ongoing process. time to revise what has happened and the things that can be improved upon. but as most things in life work-related issues and life-related issues are intertwined and therefore inseparable. and that is how i came to this junction of answering my own question of whether or not i have reached that place of contentment. to be honest i dont think i have nailed it completely but definitely got very close. taking some time out this past weekend at the beach house did help to put some things into perspective. a clearing of the head was needed to re-focus on the task that awaits in the few months to come. allocation and blending is another challenge all together it being more creative and inventive. the truth remains....to be content with your day to day is a massive luxury in life that very few people have. i count my lucky starts and will continue with a thankful attitude.

mid-harvest euphoria

it’s that time of the season when everything is such a rush that you hope you get to do all the essentials. it’s a time of pressure. but it’s a time of character too. it’s the time when you see new wines born. old ideas dying. the young wines are bubbling and foaming cause of the fermentation. the old wines in the barrels sighing cause it is time for them to come out of their three years of hibernation. it’s their time to become blends and champions in their own right.
this season we have played our hand with some new faces on the cultivar shelf. varieties such as carmenere (from chile), graciona (hailing form spain), tempranillo (also from spain)….only to name a few. in total we have (thus far) harvested over twenty different cultivars. exciting stuff. and they are looking good already. i realize that it is a honor to be exposed to such a variety (excuse the pun) of varieties. hehehe.
the sense of satisfaction is rising as the harvest progresses. it has taken a lot of time and effort of all involved to make this season another memorable one. this mid-harvest euphoria reminds me why i have decided to do what i do….to make the best wine possible. and i am still loving it. as a matter of fact – i am loving it more than ever.