All hat, no cattle? Think again
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| Pastoral 19th century scene @ Latour |
When traveling back to America there is a customs form asking all manner of questions. I am usually perplexed when they ask if I have been on a farm. Does a vineyard qualify? When they ask if I have been "in close proximity" of livestock (with the query as to whether or not I have touched livestock) again I have to pause.
I saw a horse at Latour. It wanted me to feed it, came up to me, but no I did not stick my empty hand out to taunt the well fed creature. But yes I did walk in the fields and look at vines. And I ate a lot of cured meats, picked them up with my hands. Does that qualify?
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| Bud break @ Querciavalle w/ Riccardo Losi |
So I will come clean now. Over the last trip I was in the vineyards of the Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Bordeaux. I took pictures of vines and people pruning. But I took no soil samples. I saw animals everywhere, but I did not handle them, except after they were processed. And I did taste a lot, more than a hatful, of wines.
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| Bud break @ Petrus |
Once I got back to America life proceeded to throw me back in the fast lane.
My gal, on the other hand, was recently thrown out of the fast lane (or rather a cross-walk) by a man who was driving way too big of an SUV. She sustained a broken nose and many lacerations, along with a body full of bruises. Now we're talking in close proximity, too close. Not exactly what she needed right now, considering all the things that are being thrown at us. But we’re tough in Texas, and even though we are not from Texas, we’ll take the tough part and get through this. But we are temporarily off the wine trail and on another course – one of recovery. So I will leave you with these sparse images with the hope that in the next week or so things will proceed towards a better state of health and soundness of body.
This has been a hell of a year so far. That’s all I have to say.
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| No, this is not the dump bucket @ Petrus |
written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy
