Ah, if I only had life to live over again, what would I choose to be? A viticulturist of course!

I just spent a delightful morning planting a row of Petit Manseng. Of course, the weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold. A light breeze swept through the rest of the vineyard that had been already planted by the owners of Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland.

Randy, who owns the farm, had obviously seen me down on my hands and knees carefully placing each vine into its designated predrilled hole and adding the right amount of soil. Terry came along adding water, more soil and mounding the soil over the graft. All too soon the row was completed and we are back home.

While in the vineyard, Randy asked me if I would want to farm all day, every day. I hesitated before answering. I thought about the hardships that traditional farmers face, the tricks that unpredictable Nature can play on harvests, the long hard days and the low pay. Then I though about the quality of life and the delight of communing with Nature and how my parents had lived on a small farm to ensure that they could always feed their family if there were ever another Great Depression. So my answer to Randy was “yes,” despite the hardships the farm life has much to offer that people too often miss out on. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I enjoy visiting wineries and vineyards talking with winemakers and vineyardists.

Cheers, Kathy