Hello... It's Me.
Brief hiatus, new look, same wine mom.
Happy Tuesday, my dear enjoyers! I made some changes to the newsletter (formerly Not That Kind of Wine Mom) to reflect myself and my vision more authentically as I hone in on what exactly I hope to accomplish through this publication. I hope you like it. As always, thanks for being here.
One day I will tell the origin story of “the Enjoyer”, but today is not that day.
A few weeks ago, I was in Napa Valley for the first time as a fellow of the 2024 Wine Writers Symposium. What a marvelous time we had exploring the “edge of wine'“ and subsequently our personal and cultural edges. Andrew Jefford, award winning British journalist, delivered a keynote address that captivated and inspired me. Here’s a small excerpt that has lingered in my mind:
“It’s true that wine grapes are not a global commodity. It’s true that wine grapes are not essential for life. They do nonetheless stand at the apex of global agriculture — in one sense. The most prized of these harvests – Musigny, Margaux, Napa’s greatest sites — furnish the world’s most valuable agricultural crops. The land these crops grow on constitutes the most valuable agricultural land in the world.
Wine grapes may also be world’s most mediatised and written-about agricultural crop. Every nuance of crop performance is closely scrutinised; every detail of each growing season is seized on. Top winegrowers are the world’s superstar farmers; we hang on their words. Wine vintages in Burgundy, Bordeaux or Napa are newsworthy in a way that no other harvest is.
This spotlight makes wine production a kind of litmus for climate change. This is an edge for those who write about wine. We can track these changes with some precision.”
If you have been reading my Substack for any length of time, you know I feel passionate about climate issues and their link to farming and other human factors. When Andrew spoke these words, I felt understood in a way I didn’t know possible. Never had I heard someone verbalize the importance of wine in this way, though it sounded so obvious once he said it. Many of the topics that we covered during the Symposium were quite heavy: climate crisis, discrimination, the uncertain future of publishing. Truthfully, it has taken me some time to digest everything we addressed.
For our panel “Writing At The Edge”, we were asked to read Andrew’s story titled Angela’s Lemon, a story he described as, “the story I shouldn’t have written”. Ever since, I have been kneading around all of the stories in my head that I shouldn’t write, and it has paralyzed me a bit - hence my weeks long absence from Substack. These stories shred the glamourous picture of gastronomy we cling to. Stories of sexism, racism, workers’ rights violations, climate crimes, lack of social services, intellectual property violations, and exploitation lurk behind the labels of some of your favorite wines, foods, and restaurant experiences. Yes, even at restaurants that “source locally & ethically” and wineries that “farm organically”. In my experience, respect for the Earth doesn’t always translate to respect for human beings, and vice versa.
Anyway, I am not ready to write about these things quite yet. They involve more research, evidence, and uncovering. As the kaleidoscope of learning unfolds I hope to find some light in the darkness. Right now, a few spoilers as to what I’m working on this month at The Enjoyer:
Zillenials- master code switchers in business and pleasure
Is having a family as a hospitality worker…possible? - chats with people who started families while pursuing careers in restaurants and other hospitality careers. (if you can contribute, let’s talk!)
Frontier Winemaking: Michigan - Notes from an industry seminar and tasting
Whatever other stream of consciousness I spill in an over caffienated state.
Also, I’ve always wanted to try one of these polls….
Leave me a comment if you think of anything….
Wishing everyone a week of clarity and immeasurable joy!
xoxo Caroline
P.S. Don’t burn your old christmas tree in the fireplace and always keep a fire extinguisher at home!
Oops, I sent this without refreshing my email old header and name. Next week we will get the rebrand right!