Wine Shepherd

There is a common phrase often sold by marketing people and many astute winemakers: A wine is made in the vineyard.

The quality of the soil translates to the quality of the grapes. And the quality of the grapes translate to the quality of the wines.

And because you can’t fly a vineyard around the world to host dinners, the winemakers have become the de facto image of good wine.

Personally,I have a problem with the term winemaker. With little effort, wine will make itself. The role of the winemaker to stop it from turning into vinegar.

If one is lucky, the winemaker will also have a role in the vineyard. After all the vineyard is most important part of the process. They will be in the vineyard working to make sure the grapes grow healthy and strong into something worthy of translating into wine.

The French have a term for this: vigneron, or winegrower. This seems fitting, as wine is not so much made as it is grown.

However, I’d like to propose a new term:The Wine Shepherd.

Shepherding is among the oldest profession and is a term used today meaning to help or to guide. As in the parents shepherded their child across the busy street.

Kids who need help to cross the street are often at odds with the world and would dart out into  traffic if not for the watchful eye of a parent or guardian.

Of course the parent still wants the child to feel  a sense of control and autonomy to move freely, but the shepherd quietly guides the children out of harm’s way and back to the safety of the sidewalk, fostering growth and confidence.

The OG shepherd was used to keep a flock of sheep intact, protect it from predators and guide it to market areas when shearing was required.

The grape grower guides the grapes to fruition and out of harm’s way. In these parts, that often means battling disease pressure in the form of rot and mildew. With some guidance and help, a good grape grower will be able to produce a bountiful selection of grapes worthy of being made into something worthy of market presence.

Unlike farmers, shepherds were wage earners that were paid to watch the herds of others. Many winemakers today do not own their own vineyard or land but assist in the growing of grapes and producing wine from the result.

It is at this time of year that the shepherds of the grapes are starting to make decisions in the vineyard that will ultimately affect the quality of the wine. And that work of course it being done in the vineyard.