Will We Make It To The Third Generation?
I’m often asked if my children will take over the winery someday. I usually don’t know how to respond. On the one hand, I know how good it would sound to simply reply “Yes, of course. Junior already has a developed palate and is planning to go to UC Davis to study enology and viticulture.” But then again, I’ve never been very good at stretching the truth so I usually just nod and say “I dunno.” Because I just don’t know. Neither of our kids have much of an interest in winemaking, vineyards, wine sales or marketing, or frankly anything else that is remotely related to this industry. In fact, my hunch is that they actually see the lifestyle and demands of running a winery as a boring waste of time.
Until now. My 11-year-old son recently shared his latest plan with me. He has gone through many phases in his short life from wanting to be a sportscaster to a professional fisherman. But now there’s evidence that he might actually want to work at the winery someday. This news is simply too good not to share! The Grand POO BAH himself (my father) ought to be thrilled, as am I. Of course, a lot can happen in the next 10-15 years. But I now have a glimmer of hope and actual evidence that there might be a third generation interested in carrying on the torch at Dry Creek Vineyard. |
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JohnLopresti said:
March 21, 2009 4:09 PM
At eleven years old I found a library book about how wandering tribes before civilization discovered fire, and preserved it, one person in the group keeping the coals and embers as the tribe migrated in search of food of all kinds.
I tried to get my father to read that book, but he thought it was not about modern life. He was an engineer. He did not read it.
The story was exciting. It told what tribes did in every day life. I was disappointed he lived in a "different" world. He commuted to his lab on the train every day.
After thinking a while in my room, about his reaction, his refusing to read that wonderful story, I took the book to the room where I knew my father was reading and watching television, and began to read some of the most exciting passages about finding fire after a lightning storm. He continued to be not interested. As I was reading out loud I noticed the story seemed less interesting than when I had read it quietly myself the first time.
I knew I could not convince him how amazing it was that we have fire to use in civilization.
I think the history of developing wine grapes and vineyards is one of the old stories of civilization, too. Tribes settled instead of wandering. Maybe the mountain man can learn enough about life in the wild on a ranch so that he knows more than most people about winery work and grapes when he goes to the winery for a job.