National "what" day?

It seems there is a national day for everything, the day to say I love you, the day to love your mother or your father, your secretary, your dog, even a day to be thankful. Do you find yourself needing reminders like this? A national day set aside to perform normal human emotions?

"Out of the hearts abundance the mouth speaks"

In a world that is so busy that we even forget to stop and smell the roses, we can forget about those important things. Thankfulness heals and calms the human heart and brings deep joy, inner joy that plays into every single we say and do. Slowing down and relaxing and taking time with friends and family gets our mind out of the I'm too busy" mentality and helps us to regain our happiness.

"National Drink Wine Day" 

A few days ago it was "National Drink Wine Day." That day did not remind me to perform a natural human emotion, but it did remind me about the perks of sharing wine with a good friend or family member. It made me remember the warm comfortable relaxed feeling you can have with the great glass of wine and a conversation that provides a mental break from today's daily grind. That connection that I've experienced with those closest to me usually occur as I palm a goblet of an oaky bold red wine. It was said that "Wine makes the heart of mortal men rejoice". I do agree with that. So I'll have to admit that I and willing to embrace this national day of remembrance, a day for my heart and soul and for joy and thankfulness and friends and family and that wonderful liquid gold that I love so much.

The "Roseto Effect"

Living forever, everyone wants to, but no one has. But what if you could live about 8 to 10 years longer than the average American? What if it was in your blood, what if it was part of your family's history? Well for some it is...

Just recently the oldest living Roseto native, Carmen Ruggiero passed away, just a month shy of 104 years of age. We had a chance to meet him at the "Centi Anni" or 100 yr celebration of Roseto's history and he was a charming man with a great knack for humor.

There is a tiny hill town in Pennsylvania called Roseto. It was established in 1912 by a small Italian community that moved to America from Roseto Valfatore, Italy and it is part of our family's rich heritage. It's a town where everyone's related, you're always meeting another new cousin, and everyone knows everyone. 

What was amazing about this town and these people was their incredible history of longevity. They had low heart disease rates and cancer, especially among the men. Because of this they were outliving the average American in upwards of 8 to 10 years. So a 10 year study was done to figure out why. It was called the "ROSETO EFFECT".

Our heritage is in our wine.  

Everything they ate and drank was tracked daily, and the final result was that it wasn't their gardening and homemade foods that helped them to live longer.

Everyone in town made wine, and wine is good for you right? Well, it wasn't the wine either. The answer is quite beautiful, it was the tight-knit community, that sense of well-being and love that everyone felt, that made them live longer, happier and healthier lives. You see, everyone took care of their own and their neighbor. Even the town bum who was lovingly called "mangiare e bere" or "eat and drink", I was told that he never slept on the street and never missed a meal. I wish times were still like that.

So that is why we decided to honor our family as well as the community of Roseto, Pennsylvania for their remarkable history because they knew how to live right. That is why we called our Italian red wine the "Roseto Effect".

Members of the study: my great-grandfather Domenico Finelli (bottom left) and my great great grandfather Pasqualli Finelli (center with white beard) 

We honor their tradition of winemaking by blending Sangiovese, Chianti, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to make a beautiful Italian Red Wine just like our forefathers did, perfect for pasta Sundays.

Perhaps having a glass or more a day may make the "Roseto Effect" rub off on us too. We may never know if it will work...

...pass me the wine please... 

*to read more about the Roseto Effect, visit our "Wines" page and select "Roseto Effect"

Seed to Sip

Driving home tonight from a workshop on fermentation and chemistry in making hard apple cider, I found the demographics of the classroom to be quite interesting. Being in the wine industry for some time, there is a certain stereotype among my fellow wine makers and enthusiasts, however the demographics of today's workshop was quite different from that. I found myself feeling quite honored to be around these men and farmers that I respect so much for their years of valuable experience working the land, having sleepless nights during the snowy season hoping their crops would survive and how poetically they spoke of the beautiful infrastructure of their orchards.

Can't you just taste them, the fresh produce of summer? 

Having only green eyes and not green thumbs, we source our fresh pressed apple cider from a local farmer in our community and I am quite emamored by these strong knowledgeable men. I'm sure we all respect farmers for what they produce for us on a daily basis, when we remember to. But overall I think we may take them for granted.

Think of the summer farmers markets full of green luxurious produce that makes us feel wholesome and healthy just by looking at it, sweet apple cider and pumpkin pies that magically appear just in time for the fall harvest, do we forget to thank the tireless effort of our local farmers? I'm sure we all do, I for one know that I am guilty of it. But a wealth of knowledge is available from these dear ones who don't ask for glory, yet provide to us the sustenance we need to feed our little children and ourselves. Beautiful "farm to table" meals are grown by our local farmers. 

Farm to table, poached pears

These were the men I was surrounded by tonight. Many of them, like myself, have begun creating a new genre among the craft beverage industry and that is what has united myself with these respected men.

They really know what it means to go from seed to sip. 

A special thank you to Mary from Dish-LLC.com and Denise, Carla and Erin from Penn State Extention, also Eric Shatt from Redbyrd Cider for your instruction at the "Seed to Sip" workshop.