Vacation Wine! Vacation Contemplations…
Important Newsletter News!
Firstly, thank you so much for your vacation well wishes. I was lucky enough to go to a sunny, peaceful spot (the French side of Saint Martin, which I highly recommend and include link in my post script), and it provided some much needed time for contemplation. Yes, we will start this newsletter with contemplations, but I promise to get to the gorgeous bottle of vacation wine (pictured above).
Some of you have been following along with the newsletter since the beginning (it’s been nine months and 42 newsletters – sheesh!). And once again my utmost thanks – I truly appreciate the support. You can feel free to click here to read my origin story, which gets you up to speed, but the short version: I started this newsletter at the same time as I was winding down/closing up the beloved wine and beer shop/bar that I ran in downtown Charleston, South Carolina for six years and built from the ground up (RIP The Exchange at Edmund’s Oast). I had been writing a weekly newsletter for the shop for all those years, and my background is in writing so I knew I wanted to keep that going in some fashion – hence this newsletter.
But really from the start it was about more than just that continuation…it was my attempt to connect the dots between three of my great loves – writing, food, and wine – and to share that love with others. Little did I know that about six months into the newsletter the wine world would start somewhat imploding with scary headlines about major drops in wine consumption and a lack of interest in younger generations. I have honestly been digesting this news myself for quite some time and even working on a manifesto of sorts that even has a working title “In Defense of Wine”, but it’s a subject that I have so much intense emotion over that I have felt a bit tongue tied.
The bottom line is that to me wine is so different than other buzz inducing substances and not something I have often over consumed. Sure, I had my moments in my twenties of drinking a bit too much Bonny Doon Dry Riesling after an intense divorce at a young age. But really I came to wine more so in my thirties and truly fell head over heels in my forties. And the infatuation mostly stemmed from the stories behind the wine of hardworking folks who were willing to put everything on the line year after year. I also loved learning history, geology, and geography since I did not study any of these subjects in college. (Well actually I took one geology course and nearly failed it!) But back to my point…over the years as my love for wine deepened my actual consumption dropped. There were other factors at play here as well. (I had some moments of great sadness that made me cut back due to anxiety and depression.) But mostly I just became happier to sit with the wine in my glass for longer – truly contemplating.
Then just last year I came across a book centered around the Japanese philosophy of ichi-go ichi-e that validated these feelings. I want to write on this more later, but the basic translation is “one time, one meeting” (the idea that each moment is unique and irreplaceable and should be savored). I think of this often now when I am enjoying wine and food, and it has truly made me slow down and be more appreciative of life in general. And it seems to fit in well with thoughts that some of the younger generations are having regarding moderation, health, etc. – which I applaud wholeheartedly!
Here’s a link to the book I found, and I promise to write more on this later but for now back to my vacation contemplations…I brought that book along on our vacation and thought about it and just about my life goals moving forward. I still feel a great passion around helping others find the joy of wine and cooking and time at the table. That is the real point of the Grape to Table newsletter (and my classes and wine club!). I hope that the newsletter can provide enjoyment for all readers but also perhaps inspire younger generations? That’s a reach I know but I still remember coming across a little French travel/memoir on my grandmother’s book shelf in my early teens (A Year in Provence), which probably first sparked my intellectual interest in food, wine, and quality time at the table.
Summing up all of these somewhat haphazard points, I did have a bit of an aha moment regarding the newsletter during all thiscontemplation. I realized that my main goal of providing quality content just does not jive with the weekly deadline I have set for myself. So moving forward (until I let go of some other responsibilities!) I will publish every two weeks. I have more journalistic style pieces in mind (interviews with winemakers about how they enjoy wine at the table!), and these take a bit more time. I also definitely want to continue my own recipe offerings, and these also take time to develop and test.
So far I have not turned on any sort of subscription fee (don’t get me started on my existential battle over this!), but at this moment it makes me happy as I am not plagued with guilt over moving to the bi weekly schedule! I hope you will stick with me through this change as I know it’s going to be a positive one. And perhaps recommend the newsletter to others or at the very least hit the like button at the bottom. Of course, there’s an algorithm behind substack (just like everything else in our modern world!), and more likes encourages the Substack gods to recommend my little newsletter to more folks. Go figure!
Now as a reward for reading this far – here’s a little bit about this oh-so-lovely vacation wine that I enjoyed over six days! Yes, you read that correctly – six days with one bottle (and keep in mind there are five glasses in a 750ml bottle). I am not bragging by any means, and this was not the only wine I drank. I mostly savored a bit of this Domaine du Bagnol Rosé on this beautiful little terrace at our Airbnb before dinner, and my significant other was happy with his rum drinks so I had this bottle truly to myself. And honestly it’s such a special bottle that I did not need much more most nights as really nothing could compare. (And it truly grew better as the week went on!)
So what on earth is this??? This was one of the first more “serious” rosés that I experienced (circa 2013), and I have coveted every bottle since. Domaine du Bagnol is situated in an idyllic corner of Provence, specifically the gorgeous subregion of Cassis (which is definitely on my bucket list). It’s quite near the Mediterranean Sea and heavily influenced by this (along with the terrific limestone bedrock). All of this adds up to equal a mineral driven, salt-kissed, rosé that is actually better with one year of age (this was last year’s release, 2022). (And yes, some rosé can age; that’s for another newsletter.) The Bagnol rosé is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvedre, and offers up a touch of red fruited yumminess that’s classic for such a blend of grapes, but mostly it’s about the minerality!
And who is responsible for this magic in a bottle? Domaine du Bagnol is now owned and run by Jean-Louis Genovesi and his son Sebastien. They are natives of Cassis and bought the domaine when previous owner Claire Lefevre passed away without heirs interested in continuing the hard work. Thankfully, the Genovesis have put tremendous love into caring for the old vines of southern French varieties. They have been certified organic since 2014 (but practicing long before that), and they use biodynamic practices as well (that’s even one step beyond organic).
I will admit that it’s not the easiest bottle to find as it’s not huge production, but also I swear it still flies slightly under the radar. I did find an online offer from a New York shop for $36 (of the same vintage I enjoyed on vacation – 2022), and really that’s about the going rate for it – around $40. While that’s not inexpensive, I promise the wine actually over delivers! And please reach out if you live in the Charleston area and have a hankering to try it…I might be able to offer up some when the new vintage is released in a month or two!
And with that I will leave you to hopefully enjoy some spring weather, festivities with family/friends, taking the time to savor every moment! Cheers ❤️
P.S. If you want to read two great newsletters that go deeper on the subject of the wine consumption dip – check out these – also by female wine writers!
Wine is Confusing by Kara Daly
P.P.S. If you are interested — here’s a link to the Airbnb we have now enjoyed on two vacation in Saint Martin. Talk about overdelivering for the price!
P.P.P.S. And don’t forget to hit the like button below if you did indeed enjoy this 😀 And also it’s better to subscribe rather than follow (that follow button is a new Substack feature). If I ever chose to leave this platform I could take the subscription list and meet y’all elsewhere, but I would have no way of keeping up with my followers. And as I mentioned for now the subscription is FREE!
Sarah is The Best!
Keep following your passion, love reading your letters!