Women Wine Critics Board

Cultivating a Life

Susan Sokol Blosser's account of building a life in the Dundee Hills of Oregon speaks to me on many levels--as a woman working in the wine industry, a woman working with her husband, a woman running her own business, and a mother. Susan turns her trials into triumphs and exercises a sense of humor along the way. From the Great Goose Experiment to the day her tearful son rides his bike all the way to school by himself, this is a story that will transport you into "The Life" of owning a vineyard and winery, with a judicial salting of reality and romance.

In At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life, Susan talks about their wild card decision to plant a vineyard in Oregon in the 1970's.  But it's also the story of a young, idealistic bride who has been groomed to "please" her husband and family.  Said bride is confronted with unhappy investors, disgruntled family members, distributor ennui, divorce, and disastrous vintages.  But along the way she collects some overly affectionate geese, useless peacocks, a three-legged cat, and some loyal staff members. 

By the end of the book, we see a woman who can confidently drive a vineyard tractor with her baby daughter strapped in beside her, navigate the corridors of politics, travel widely in support of her brand and her region, and take the reins as owner and CEO of her own company. 

If you dream of someday owning your own vineyard or winery, this autobiography should be part of your literary quest.  If you are a single, working mother you will resonate to young Alex' cry when he says, "Mom, why can't you stay at home and be a real mother like Wilma?"   But most of all, I was impressed by Susan Sokol Blosser's willingness to lay her heart on the table, to pour her sorrow, joy and fears into a glass.  It's one thing to critique a winegrower's wines.  Susan is offering her heart.

NYT Times Article on Wine and Pregnancy

Those of you who enjoyed Daniel Rogov's thought-provoking piece on Wine and Pregnancy, will also want to read this week's New York Times  article, The Weighty Responsibility of Drinking for Two.

(This post is closed to comments, but please feel free to leave opinions and comments in the Wine and Pregnancy discussion thread.)

_______________________________________

Follow up:  As of December 1, The Weighty Responsibility of Drinking for Two is on the NYT top 5 "Most Emailed" list.

Also, Daniel Rogov, author of Wine and Pregnancy, Lies that Women are Told is now working on an article about the different ways that men and women perceive and evaluate wine.  Stay tuned for another stimulating discussion sparked by an excellent wine writer.

--Mary Baker, editor, Women Wine Critics Board

Wine and Pregnancy – Lies That Women Are Told

Editor's note: Please feel free to contribute comments and opinions on this article. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the comment screen. Only 50 replies are shown per page, starting with the first comment received. Hit the "more comments" link to read our entire public commentary. All comments are read and approved before posting. All opinions are welcome, but comments must contribute to moving the discussion forward and indicate that the reader has in fact read the article and commentaries. Profanity, personal insults and bizarre claims are not allowed. ________________________________________________________ Contributed by Daniel Rogov, wine writer

Since 1990 every bottle of wine, beer and spirits sold in the United States has carried the warning that "according to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects." If that has not been enough to add to the anxiety of women already concerned about their own health and the health of their fetuses, hundreds of newspaper articles and television talk shows have been devoted to convincing women that if they have even a single drink during their pregnancy that there is a chance that their baby will be born deformed, addicted to alcohol or retarded.

It seems, however, as if the American government, medical authorities and media have not been telling American women the entire truth. Although the official message is "don't drink at all during pregnancy", a great deal of recent research and a re-examination of the alcohol-pregnancy issue show that there is no conclusive evidence to demonstrate that moderate drinking during pregnancy can harm the fetus.