Blog

Almost a month has passed since my last post.  I hope you can forgive me? Being married to the winemaker has always been exciting but this past month has been even wilder than normal.

I’ve been busy… so busy that countless exciting things have gone undocumented. Isn’t that always the case with some of life’s sweetest moments. They are so big and real and raw that we are forced to just be present knowing that although pictures and journaling will be great, they can’t do it justice.

Maybe it is during those moments we are truly absorbing. And maybe you’re like me where that new Disney Movie where they actually show the people in your head is always how you feel.

It always blows my mind how I will map out my days in a planner and have exponentially more items on my list than I could ever accomplish until that one day when everything falls into place. All the lights turn green. You find the perfect parking spot, right in front. The store is virtually empty, the clerks happy, you wiz from task to task. Today is not that day. Today is the day where the I.T. People keep me on hold for a half an hour, I can’t find my cell phone charger, I’m having email trouble. Ect… So what does a girl like me do on a day like that? Good question!

Today the answer is…look for some small successes.

I’m actually typing this from the pharmacy parking lot because I looked down at my list of things to do and besides picking up a prescription I wanted to be able to put one more check in a box. So I thought I’m going to hop on and do my darn blog post now! Next I may pick up my contacts and run by the bank if I manage to do both of those things~ I’m going to make myself a strawberry lemonade (and add a Starbucks refresher pack to it for extra go-go juice) don’t judge- that’s one of my blog reading rules! It’s good and when the thermometer starts to pop up to 90+ I like to pop in and get a glass of that syrupy goodness. It makes me happy, brings to mind wonderful memories of simpler times. And today it may serve as my reward for not crying. Cross your fingers people.
Thankfully God is so good. He knows all the little people in my head and he loves me anyway. I’ve often thought that’s why he moved me all the way out to Timbuktu (aka Sonova Rd, Paterson)  so that we would have our drives together we’re finally I would just settle in.
But don’t worry I’m not gonna get all sappy on you I just wanted to give you a little perspective and to bring you up to speed. For starters for those of you who are returning  you’ll be happy to know that our girly girl Matti is going to be home working on the farm this summer and she’s brought one of her dear friends Victoria to help as well. They are bright and beautiful and we are excited to have their help and insight on the social media side cuz I’m getting old!! Also, I was able to snag Jessica (at least in part) &  I’m also excited they were able to bring on one Seph’s dearest friends Michael Hanlon who just graduated from college (three cheers for Michael and he is going to be a summer intern for us) doing videography. Rah rah Michael.

http://instagram.com/p/3ZhRj4h0MV/

Next, the grand opening of the Estate at Destiny Ridge took place on May 1st and it was amazingly awesome. Makes me want to cry just thinking about it. It’s nowhere near done but it was still beautiful and our Wine Club Members seemed to absolutely love it making it almost as exciting for me as…the fact that it was over.

Hope was definitely in the air. I felt like all of those who could not be with us were definitely here in spirit. What a blessing! This road has been a rough one as of late but this vision of our dear Ms Hope and her dream of making it the very best it could be is actually inspiring me. This masterpiece will stand as a landmark to her dream and one that our sweet angel Seph worked on as well. So although she has moved on to be solely devoted to her foundation, Make The Dash Count we look forward to honoring the spectacular Estate that Hope built this weekend.

We will plan on how we will be partnering with on some different events that will benefit make the dash count so that we can honor her as well as Seph. That feels good. Makes my heart happy in the hardest of ways.

Since then we have completed the tiny house competition and survived Mother’s Day.

I was once again been reminded of the importance of perspective.   As I walked from the winery down through the vineyard to the tiny houses. The vines were in the forefront of my view, then the tiny houses & from this vantage point the Estate, looks small.

I hope and trust that these tiny clusters get the nutrients that they need to grow to peak perfection where they can be harvested, pressed and turned into wine that may one day reach your lips. May be present as you toast to a special celebration or simply a quiet night in with pizza and a movie.

So, as spring slowly turns in the summer maybe we can all use the reminder to keep things in perspective. Not major on the minors.

WINE OF THE WEEK
My wine of the week choice this week is our Estate Chardonnay. Let me begin by saying I am not normally a Chardonnay girl.  But my winemaking man did a fabulous job of making it bright and complex enough for miss picky pants (me) while showcasing all of the rich depth and creamy minerality that Chardonnays are known for.  Made me long for the boat, which is the ultimate compliment.

Food pairing recommendation:
Penne pasta with pine nuts, basil, sun-dried tomatoes & possibly an artichoke or two. Regardless of what you pair it with (or don’t) it’s sure to turn your summer evening into a special one.
Cheers,
Ali (Winemakers Wife)

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VQkHD15J7HI