THE VINEYARD COTTAGE

I live on a beautiful vineyard in the wine country.

The last couple of years the weather just hasn't been as supportive as it should given the pleasure wine brings to so many of us.  Too cold, too wet, too sunny too late.  Because wine grapes like to struggle.  That's what gives them their depth.  The vines love the heat and require very little moisture.  If it's a cold summer, they don't grow.  If it's too wet, the grape swells up and it dilutes the dense crystalized flavors you've been waiting all year to harvest.

This year (2012) was the perfect year.  The harvest spectacular.  I was watching the harvest through the beveled glass of my front door.  Why you say?  Because the beveled glass refracts light and it sprays the colors outside all over my space, I can't help it.  Ton after ton of grape bins arrived.  I had never seen the vintner so happy.  As each week passed his smile lasted longer as he wheeled about on his forklift carrying full bins of grapes and later barrels full of freshly fermenting wine.  The weather held, and the grapes ripened perfectly.   This harvest lasted a couple of months, and the vintner never stopped smiling even though he and his team were working 18 hour days.

The wine is fermenting now in large tanks sitting under the olive trees that line the lane.  The fruit flies have arrived thrilled by the scent of freshly pressed grapes and thick yeast spicing the morning air.  So smart they are.  Did you know scientists actually trained fruit flies to play computer games.  They love the repetition and play tirelessly.  Well now they are in my kitchen.  They perch nearby looking at me, all over the walls, the rims of my glasses, the handle to my refrigerator just waiting for me to open it.  They come every year toward the end of harvest.  When the stems and vines lay off on the vineyard slopes, resting and melting back into the soil.  The fruit flies thrilled to find such a pile claim it as their rightful treasure.

I've seen fruit flies at harvest cover entire walls of people's homes and cellars.  The walls black, crawling with these little buggers.  Not in my home, not anymore.  What do you do when you just can't take it anymore?  Vacuuum!  Trap in a little hand vacuum and release back into the wild...if you are so inclined :)  Cuz you cannot catch them otherwise.

Can't wait to taste the new wine.  I'll tell ya about it as soon as I get my first taste.