A Quick Note
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This time of year, we are of two inclinations: winemaking and farming. Generally, we say it like this: we grow things and we make things. We do the most human of arts. Then, we commodify them. That’s how being human works, these past millennia.
Commodification aside, our work is our path. Working with land and craft keeps our focus on the momentary nature of life’s passing. A kind of embedded anti-consumerism (philosophers Deleuze and Guatari might call it ‘rhizomic.’) What we take from it, we share with others. The CSA, the botanical wines, the bitters, even this newsletter: all in service of slowing the pace of life to something more livable.
As the Zen monk Shunryū Suzuki wrote, ‘Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.' The moment is all that we have. Best to pay attention.
In the Winery
Our primary concern this time of year is the winery. There is much to do this spring, and time for wine work is spare. Revisions to our bitters and wine labels, spring planting, and a back sprain that needed some space for recovery all piled alongside the start of the season.
The goals for all our wines this season is to increase the precision of their expression on the pallet and to reduce their overall sweetness. Last year, we found that after a few months in bottle, their bitterness quieted down a great deal, leaving their sugars over-pronounced.
Trialing such amendments feels a lot like wrangling a cat. Adjustments are minute. Each botanical assessment takes a week or more. In this Amazon age, our development can feel glacially slow. Pressures from all sides urge us to move faster, produce more. In spite of this, our pace remains measured. The impatient circuit of production and consumption drains the humanity out of the thing. It defeats the very purpose of the work.
We begin with Mentha, a rhubarb-mint aperitif bittered with wild dandelion leaf and wormwood. Removing some of the sugar leans out the profile, bringing the acid of the rhubarb to the fore.
There’s a fine line between pie-adjacent and cuttingly bitter. Our task is to find it.
Along with Mentha comes Solstice: a plum vermouth bolstered with tulsi basil, sumac, and rosehips. The aim here is to retain the nuance of its fruit profile while simultaneously drawing back its sugars. Too dry, and the plum becomes acidic to the point of stripping enamel. Too sweet, and it’s a juicebox.
The center here always comes back to the tulsi: a sweetly-aromatic linchpin bridging the two sides. Ounce by ounce, we look for balance.
In The Vineyard
Our second focus this time of year is our plants. The vineyard and our crops wake up at the same time. April is a rush of activity between the two, to say nothing of other work.
For those new to our story, our vineyard is an experimental site. We planted it with a novel assortment of hybrids relatively unpursued in mid-Atlantic viticulture. A few are locally-bred varieties never before seen in winemaking.
Here’s the long and short of it: Cayuga, Prairie Star, Louise Swenson, Marquette, Sabrevois, Frontenac Gris, Frontenac Blanc, and of course, some mysterious unknown varieties (mostly named by serial number).
We also have a little Muscadine named Carlos and what is probably a Concord vine at our home site. Their fruit features in some of our micro-releases.
Working with our grapes is our greatest joy. The vineyard is the living embodiment of our philosophy. Nothing moves quickly in the vines. The work follows the same seasonal cycle, year after year. No immediate rewards. No flashy click bait. Just life, moving at the pace of life.
If we could spend every day there, we would. Maybe one day.
Today, life’s distractions fill our dashboard. The vineyard, ever patient, waits.
Behind the Bar
On a lighter note, it’s no secret that we’re both massive geeks. It’s almost May, and all the geeks out there know what that means. It’s almost time for May the 4th, aka Star Wars Day.
In honor of all things intergalactic, we made a very special cocktail with matcha, coconut, and our Thistle Artichoke Aperitif. We’re calling it Boba Fête.
It’s fun to make, fun to drink, and a sure way to win the hearts of all the geeks in your life.
Feedback
Community is built when we are in conversation with each other. Was there something you loved in this month’s newsletter? Or hated? Do you have a question about something we said, or a response to us?
We want to hear from you! Comment using the button below or email us at contact@artemisia.farm.
"all in service of slowing the pace of life to something more livable"- yes. I'm finding myself more committed to long form writing and reading, deep listening, and slow movement. It's like my body craving a good meal after being on the road for a week. I think of it as I'm seeing musicians turn back towards creating full length albums...it's everywhere! We want to slow down. I really enjoy that wine doesn't give us a choice.