Earlier this week I was out tending to the vineyard, doing our normal pruning and training of the vines, re-positioning the shoots and grapes for optimum sun exposure and ventilation so that they have the best conditions to mature and ripen properly. We do this very often in order to make sure that the next vintage is the best it can be, a great vintage. I talk about this vineyard technique at length on our vineyard and winery tour. Ultimately, the premise that it takes hard work to make good grapes and good grapes to make great wine, the wine making process starts in the vineyard. During this tending to the vineyard I discovered what I have taken a picture of above. As I approached the location of this find I was verbally harassed, dive-bombed and narrowly escaped physical abuse from the resident of this nest. At first I was a little protective myself (of the grapes that is) but instantaneously respected the actions of this resident and quickly moved on to allow her back to her eggs, safe-and-sound. This wonderful site made me think of a number of aspects in our lives that parallel wine growing and more importantly the connection between those turquoise eggs, bright-green grapes, and our children.
The Next Vintage.
There are so many parallels between the eggs and the grapes. They are both the next vintage, young and helpless right now but extremely well cared for, cherished and aggressively protected. We all put so much energy into The Next Vintage, caring for our children, we nurture them so that they are healthy and strong, we protect them from danger, we guide them so that they can strive, and accomplish their full potential, so they can they can be a greater vintage than ourselves.
As they begin to reach maturity we give them more freedom to take on their adult selves. We slowly allow them to mature in the best environment, immersing them and surrounding them with great influences and conditions. When they are ready we let them go, out into the world, knowing that the time and effort that we put into their Vintage will bring joy and happiness to the World for years to come, and hopefully make Their Next Vintage even greater, just like we thought them.