Happy Year(1)

A few days before Christmas, the phone didn't stop ringing from the moment I woke up.

"Redwood Winery, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to place an order for Cerasia."

"I'm sorry, but we're currently sold out."

"Sold out? Then when will it be available...?"

"I apologize, but it won't be until the end of next year. Every bottle we produced this year has already been claimed."

"Oh... man... I see."

I repeated the same words over and over. As soon as I hung up one call, another came in. The callers were from all over—some within California, like Los Angeles and San Diego, and others from out of state, like Seattle and Denver.

Just like this one:

"Hello, this is 'Second Glass' wine bar in Portland. Can we get 30 cases of Cerasia?"

Portland was a staggering 800 kilometers away from Napa.

"I'm sorry, but we're currently sold out. Would you like me to add you to our allocation list for next year's vintage?"

"Yes, please put us down."

As I scribbled the wine bar's name, contact info, and requested quantity into my notebook, I couldn't suppress my curiosity any longer.

"By the way... how did you hear about our wine?"

The person on the other end sounded genuinely surprised by my question.

"Haven't you seen the latest issue of Wine Review West yet?"

"Pardon?"

"This month's issue. Your cherry wine, Cerasia, was reviewed in there. Customers are asking for it like crazy—it's the most requested wine after Pinot Noir."

The caller spoke as if it were common knowledge. As soon as I hung up, I tried to search for it, but our office internet was painfully slow.

"Armando, could you take the calls for a bit? I need to run into downtown Napa."

"Sure thing! I'm the designated 'Sold Out' consultant anyway."

I grabbed my wallet and car keys and headed out. I drove my pickup truck to downtown Napa, ducked into a small bookstore on the corner of Main Street, and asked at the counter.

"Do you have the latest issue of Wine Review West?"

"Check the rack on the right."

I went over and saw the bold [Holiday Pairing] text on the cover. I flipped through the table of contents and found a photo of Cerasia halfway through. Our label was clearly visible, and the small caption beneath the photo read: [Redwood ‘Cerasia’ Cherry Wine (Napa, CA)].

I couldn't help but read it.

There was no grand praise or harsh criticism, but often, it's this kind of understated writing that truly moves the market.

"I'll take this."

I couldn't just leave after he'd written such a helpful column. I bought a copy and headed back.

When I arrived at the winery, I was about to show the magazine to Armando when I saw a small bus pulling in from a distance. The UC Davis logo was clearly displayed on the side. I suddenly remembered that today was the day for the special seminar farm tour.

As the door opened, Dean Thomas stepped out first, followed by students in small groups. Most were dressed in casual clothes as usual, but the notebooks and pens in their hands showed they were treating this as a serious learning opportunity rather than just a field trip.

"Brian, good to see you."

"Welcome, Professor."

I shook hands with the Dean in front of the bus. He was already smiling, likely anticipating the Pinot Noir tasting.

"We're here for the final special seminar of the semester. Regular classes are over, but we opened this up to interested students. They wanted to see real-world experience before the break, so I arranged this."

It was clearly the Dean's recommendation. Even though I wasn't part of the To-Kalon vineyard, I was producing results similar to the grapes grown there. It was a perfectly logical decision for him to see this as a great learning opportunity for himself and his students—not to mention the chance to taste the wine he’d been curious about.

Among the students stepping off the bus were Sienna and Matthew. It wasn't surprising; they would naturally be very curious about my farm.

"Yes, of course. Please, come on up."

I guided them up, giving the students a few ground rules.

"Please don't get too close to the machinery. Photos are fine, but please ask for permission before taking pictures of people's faces. Minors are not allowed to taste, and students over 21 must have their IDs checked before tasting small amounts."

It didn't matter if Chloe or I drank at home in front of our families, but in a group setting like this, there were many eyes on us. I couldn't afford any unnecessary trouble.

As we walked around the farm, small exclamations of awe erupted here and there. The soil in the areas treated with Biochar Compost was moist and dark, and the tensiometers installed nearby were quietly recording data.

Dean Thomas’s eyes lit up when he saw the tensiometers.

"I see... you’re using tensiometers. As far as I know, the large farms in Napa and Sonoma installed these with research support linked to our university. Did you install these on your own?"

"That's correct."

"Ho-ho, impressive. So, I assume you’re using a pressure chamber as well?"

"Of course."

"Really...? Even when we tell small farms to do it, they rarely do. How did you...?"

He looked genuinely astonished. In those days, the common knowledge among Napa farmers was simply to induce a bit of stress before harvest to increase sugar content and tannins. Rather than precise numerical data, they usually just looked for the leaves to droop slightly before reducing irrigation.

UC Davis was the first to develop the method of applying precise SWP (Stem Water Potential) values using a pressure chamber, and it hadn't been long since they started disseminating that method to large-scale farms. It was so rare that many small farms in Napa didn't even use pressure chambers.

"I was deeply impressed after learning that UC Davis developed a way to grow grapes with precise irrigation using SWP values from a pressure chamber, so I made an effort to learn and apply it. I believe farming is a science, and I think the UC Davis researchers who developed this method are truly remarkable."

I wasn't just saying that; ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I meant it. The researchers who developed this farming method truly deserved the praise.

"Hahaha! There are so many people who won't do it even when we teach them, and to think our student was using this method before he even enrolled—it's incredible."

"It's something that should be used, naturally. Since the Judgment of Paris, American wine has started to be recognized globally, and I believe the reason is precisely because of the attempts that the French would never dare to make."

Dean Thomas looked genuinely moved by my words. The fact that Napa's Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon beat out French Burgundy and Bordeaux wines in the 1976 blind tasting was something the American wine industry took pride in for years.

Furthermore, it was the general consensus here that the reason for that success lay in the difference between French and American viticulture.

"Oh... my goodness... You are more American than anyone else. That's right. The French still treat irrigation as a taboo. They have a philosophy of terroir that has been passed down for centuries. A belief that you must accept what the land gives you as it is. It's worthy of respect, but Americans are different. In this land where it barely rains all summer, commercial grape cultivation would be impossible without irrigation. If we had just looked up at the sky, grape farming would have been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠impossible."

"I think so, too. If France stands on tradition, America stands on innovation. I believe we are by no means behind French wine."

I said exactly what a professor would love to hear, and he looked like he was about to burst with joy, his eyes practically sparkling.

"There was a reason. There was a reason you got those results at the Harvest Fair. Sienna! Matthew! Did you hear that? What Brian just said?"

"Yes..."

"We heard it. I think that's the kind of attitude that leads to great results at the Harvest Fair."

Matthew looked at me and even gave me a thumbs up. He looked so much like a senior student who truly cared for his junior that I briefly wondered, 'Is this the same person I met before?' What incredible acting skills.

"You two are the heirs to families that will lead the California wine industry, and since you're already utilizing SWP well, there's not much more to say, but you should always emulate this attitude and study incessantly."

"Yes..."

"We will keep that in mind."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Dean Thomas, who turned back to me with a loving smile, said casually,

"Then, shall we taste that famous Pinot Noir?"

"Let's do that."

The group moved inside the winery, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠where rows of stainless steel fermentation tanks stood. The students looked around with bright eyes at the tanks in the space filled with the scent of disinfectant and subtle grape aromas.

"The tanks you see now contain two different things. Both were made from Cabernet Sauvignon harvested this year, but one is vinegar, and the other is wine. The wine will be moved to oak barrels soon."

"Where did the oak come from?"

"We're using 60% new French oak."

"So you're planning to blend with American oak later. Is the Cabernet available for tasting...?"

"I'm afraid not."

"A pity, a pity..."

I stood in front of the single Pinot Noir oak barrel in one corner of the winery and said,

"The Pinot Noir is being produced via Custom Crush, and I’ve only brought one barrel here. As you’ve heard, what you’re tasting now is obviously not in its finished state, so it has its shortcomings. You can consider it as having the direction set, but nothing more."

"Ah, yes, I know."

With a look that said, 'Stop talking and just pour it,' I brought a glass to the barrel. The wine, still a vibrant purple, filled the glass clearly.

The Dean lifted the glass and inhaled the aroma. He closed his eyes for a moment, then took a sip. Soon, his brow furrowed slightly, and he let out a low exclamation.

"...... Even knowing what it is, it's surprising. The acidity is still rough and the structure isn't fully formed, but the balance is already there to some extent. I can clearly see how it will change in two years. How did you make this?"

"That's a secret."

To Dean Thomas, who looked disappointed, I handed him a bottle of Cerasia I had kept aside.

"This is...?"

"This is Cerasia, the first official wine of our Redwood Winery. It's a cherry wine, but it's not bad."

"Is that so?"

"It was already featured in Wine Review West."

When I showed him the wine magazine published for the Western United States, he hurriedly looked through the relevant section. Sienna and Matthew were also quite surprised and scurried over to the Dean's side to take a look.

"Christopher White?"

Everyone watched him as he frowned.

"Do you know him?"

"I know him... he's a graduate of our school and my former student."

"Really?"

He looked back and forth between me and the Cerasia with a look of renewed interest, then said quietly,

"He's quite the harsh critic, so to get a review like this... Congratulations. You're going to be famous soon."