A Blooming Hill Vineyard

The job of being married to a winemaker…really, how nice is this?  Here I am sitting at my computer doing actual work and Jim shows up with a glass of newly filtered Pinot Gris for me to taste.  Luckily, it’s the end of the work day for me so I can do this and not render myself incapable of a reasonable decision in my job, should one be required!

The wine is lovely.  It is the color of a canary diamond.  I want to wear it as perfume because it has a lovely, light floral scent.  A thousand years ago I used to wear Diorissimo…mostly because a man I was dating brought me back a bottle from a trip to Paris and I immediately told him it was what I wore most often.  He said “Either this is an amazing selection on my part; or, you are a very clever girl…”  I never did quite answer.

But, I digress.  The wine is delightful.  It is still early in the maturing cycle and you can taste that it will add roundness as time goes on.  Still, the essence of a lovely wine is right there.   Yesterday we tasted and Jim tested four of the barrels of Pinot Noir.  Every one of them had exceptional wine in it. Barrel Number 3  (we informally named them for the 12 Apostles so this would be James, amazingly enough)  is especially good!  I know I resisted the idea of writing about the tastes we detect in our wine but, really, it’s the way to let people know what to expect.  I wonder what you will make of the fact that I taste graham crackers at the finish of Barrel #3, James….

So the news here is good … we really like the way the wines are developing; all growing things are breaking free of their winter-wear and have put plump buds all over themselves, like trying out a new mascara that adds volume; the tomato seeds are starting to sprout in the greenhouse; we’ve still got stores in the pantry to hold us over until the garden performs its annual Major Symphony; and a horse is about to foal – probably this week.

See why I love this job??