The Napa and Sonoma Valleys...Burgundy and Bordeaux... Australia's Barossa Valley and South Africa's Stellenbosch... Central Otago in New Zealand and Val d'Aosta in Italy... I have sipped and supped in the great growing regions of the world.
But I'm more than just a writer and reviewer. I literally have "roots" in the wine business as a vigneron (grower), a partner with my husband, Peter Schroeder, in a Sonoma Carneros appellation vineyard growing cool-climate Syrah for Buena Vista Vineyards and other wineries. So I've been entwined with the worlds of pruning, trellising,and fermentation, making some 600 cases annually of wine. I'm proud to report that the 2012 Estate Syrah won Silver Medal at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair.
From my experience I talk knowledgeably with both growers and wine makers. Most of all, I am constantly awed by the miracle of the grapes. I behold barren wood burst into tender green budbreak... Stand amazed by the vast color-change that turns clusters purple as they sugar and soften into ripeness... Exult in the abundance of harvest.
T
RISA WYATT
FOOD WINE TRAVEL