mr. shiraz

As you probably already know if you've been following this blog whatsoever, Stefan and I absolutely adore wine.  Not just the drinking of it (although we do enjoy that part a whole lot), but the learning about it - the intricacies of the various processes, the diverse varietals from various regions, the history of the winemakers, the culture surrounding its communal consumption.

Luckily, the two of us live (and Stefan used to live) in a spot perfect for this predilection.  When Stefan lived in Geneva, on special occasions, we'd make a weekend trip to the Burgundy to taste their fine wine and cuisine.  Living in San Francisco, we plan a get-away to Sonoma or Paso Robles or Healdsburg every now and again to refresh and rejuvenate catching up over some samples of the valleys' sweet nectar.

Last fall, we made one of these such trips down to Paso.  We visited our favorites and a few new recommendations from our wine expert friends Ward and Dan. 

At one of the new spots, we stumbled upon a plethora of wine vines for sale for $10 a pop.  The second Stefan saw them, he fell in love.  We HAD to have one in our apartment.

I was skeptical - a wine vine in a pot in a drafty San Francisco apartment?  There was no way one of these little guys was going to make it a month.  But seeing Stefan's excitement at the idea, I just couldn't say no.  So in addition to heading home with a few bottles of wine, we brought home a new baby: "Mr. Shiraz" as Stefan so aptly named him.

Stefan stepped into his father role right away - purchasing him a pot and soil, researching the optimal conditions for his survival and success, and positioning him right beside his desk for safe keeping.

But I still wasn't sure - he looked so sad there in that little pot.  I gave him three months max.

Stefan, however, was persistent - watering, resoiling, repositioning as necessary - and his hard work (and more importantly, laborious love) paid off.  By this past weekend, Mr. Shiraz was so big and his leaves so robust, that we needed to make a trip to the hardware store to get him a stick and some twine so he could grow in a more orderly manner.

Who knows?  Maybe we'll be making wine this time next year.

xoxo
KK