In viticulture, the time from bud break to harvest is roughly 140-to-160 days. The duration can be shorter or longer based on different circumstances. The vines are exposed to many elements that can impact their health, from disease and pests to climactic conditions. The vigneron must learn to anticipate, prepare and work quickly to resolve any factors that may impact the process to ensure healthy vines and fruit.
In the new hardcover book, “A Year in the Vineyard,” Authors Sophie Menin and Bob Chaplin portray the year-long life cycle of the vine in vivid imagery and eloquent prose. The book takes the reader through the natural and human process of cultivating grapes. Menin and Chaplin reveal the challenges growers face as climate change increases its grip on our planet. It reminds you of the delicate balance between natural and human interventions to produce healthy vines and fruit.
“A Year in the Vineyard” (Cultureshock, Hardcover $60). Purchase at this Amazon link.
Grapevines cover nearly 19 million acres and produce more than 70 million tons of fruit. Of this, 70 percent goes into making wine (reference Society of Wine Educators). Grapes are one of the most diverse species of plant and fruit. Wine is one of the oldest beverages on earth. Historically, wine was consumed for religious ceremonies and medicinal purposes. In old Europe, wine was consumed as an alternative to drinking unsafe water.
In modern times, wine has been consumed for enjoyment and as an accompaniment for food. Wine has been analyzed, judged and collected like trophies. It has been fought over during wars and conflicts and vilified during temperance movements. These days wine producers, marketers and writers are busy debating how to sell more wine to younger people who are choosing to consume less. Venture capitalists are swooping in to purchase vineyards and brands. One wonders whether wine is simply another commodity to make and sell for profit for some companies.
“A Year in the Vineyard” page 88 – Hatzidakis, Santorini vine. (Hatzidakis Winery, Santorini, Greece. Photo: Courtesy of Hatzidakis Winery)
Wine consumption may ebb and flow over time and style preferences may change. But the natural cycle of the vine is consistent, and the means of harvesting grapes is essentially the same. “A Year in the Vineyard” takes one away from the buzz about wine marketing and consumption and back to the quiet process of how vines give birth to grapes under the watchful eyes and careful hands of the vigneron. It draws awareness to both the strength and the fragility of the eco-system and the role of the vigneron as caretaker of the vineyard.
“A Year in the Vineyard” is a coffee table book to enjoy with a glass or two of wine and a lovely gift for a wine aficionado with a bottle of wine.
A Year in the Vineyard page 115 – Puglia in Autumn (I Pastini, Valle d’Itria, Puglia, Italy. Photo: Courtesy of I Pàstini)
About the Authors:
Sophie Menin (Photo: Larry Pang)
Author Sophie Menin’s articles have been published in The New York Times, Wine Spectator, Barron’s, Saveur, Edible Communities, Punch, B the Change, Penta and Opera News. She earned her M.A. in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from the Arthur L Carter Journalism Institute at New York University and a professional degree in the Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education. Her writing has a permanent home in her online journal, lifewithwine.com
Photographer Bob Chaplin is an artist, landscape designer and wine writer working in mixed media, installation, and books. His artwork and limited- edition books are in many collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library (NY), New York Public Library, Whitney Museum of American Art Library (NY), Art Institute of Chicago, The Getty Research Institute Library, The Tate Gallery, and many other museums and libraries. He has written about libations for the Hartford Courant, Hartford Magazine, Gastronomic and the New England Wine Gazette.