Good morning lovely people
It’s feeling cooler than we’re comfortable with. Jumpers are on. We have been able to pick courgette flowers almost every day this September but next week sadly I think Jack Frost will be in charge.
Many of you will know that we buy the majority of our delicious Sofia’s olive oil and some beautiful Maturano wine from my brother in Italy. He and his family have loving cultivated back to life, the farm that my father’s family lived on for centuries before they moved to Scotland. You’ll be able to see the next instalment of the Channel 4 series Help We Bought A Village in October. We’ll keep you posted.
The vendemia, or grape harvest, is the Edinburgh Festival for our suppliers and family in Italy and any available help gets drafted in. It’s a bit like conscription. No pay but you get very well-fed.
With our Kitchen Garden growing season cooling off a little. Gardener John and helper Rachel can manage on their own for now, Victor has squeezed in two short trips to help. He said it was pressing business. More like Jack Frost isn’t on vacation in Picinisco. Thank you Jet 2 and RyanAir (Victor says his carbon footprint is still green as he has 180,000 bees that he looks after. I’ve told him he needs to walk back.) Looking at the photos (as I’ve never been) in fairness it looks like hard work. The fact he was happy to go back for a second round makes me think it’s not too hard work but more great fun. Harvesting grapes, preparing, pressing, cleaning, all tasks involved around the art of vinification where nature dictates a large part of your success. The weather is key to the fruit ripening, water and sugar content are determined by the sun and the soil and then that final critical moment from harvest to vat. The vineyard is organic which comes with different challenges but flavour and health win every time. Comradery and community. Even the local priest gets stuck in (or roped in). Working together to make wine while the sun shines are the three graces of winemaking. Rejuvenating the rural community, providing a destination to visit and providing jobs where people live are all Slow Food values that are precious to us. Drinking the final result is the added extra.
Victor was there for the first harvest about 10 years ago and this is the first year he’s managed to go back and help. The years in between I’m very proud to share, ICiacca has won a whole shelf of top wine awards and accolades. A lot of hard work, lots of love and determination can produce great results. I do believe if you nurture nature it will reward you greatly.
I’ve got no comments on our politics this week as there seems to be no grace and no comradery spirit that results in a great good for our community. Self-serving seems to be the order of the day. I’d bring back conscription. Work on a farm or in a vineyard (or in a restaurant) for a few months and I’m sure we’d all make different choices and see the world in a different light. Maybe they need to drink more wine to find a little more truth. Cheers to that.
Salute or as we say Centotre anni!
