By Hyon O'Brien
Forty years ago today, I was sworn in as an American citizen at a ceremony with hundreds of other immigrants in Washington, D.C. Since then, I have been introduced to many new things.
One of them is learning to appreciate wine. I still do not know very much about wine and cannot distinguish good quality wine from poor ones. Even now, the maximum I can drink is two glasses. Friends we meet regularly for dinner noticed this and recommended that I should increase my intake to two and a half glasses, thinking that might improve my writing. I may do that.
Even as a novice to wine culture, I have cultivated a keen interest in wineries and vineyards.
One of the most fascinating stories that I frequently relate to friends is about the Concha y Toro Winery that I visited five years ago. Established in 1883 south of Santiago, Chile, it is a beautiful place for a visit. Some years ago, a grape variety called Carmenere was wiped out from European vineyards due to an insect infestation. All thought Carmenere was no more.
But not too long ago, a French grape expert visiting the Concha y Toro Winery recognized Carmenere grapes among other grapevines. You can imagine the delight with which this winery started refining its wine to enjoy a monopoly in the market for this variety. The other day, when we dined at the Seoul Club, a dinner hosted by a kind friend to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, I was delighted to spot Carmenere on the wine list. Even though I may not have fully appreciated its quality as a connoisseur, I was able to drink it with the Concha y Toro vineyard in my mind's eye.
Some years back when we rented a house in Provence, France, for a family vacation, we toured a rather unusual museum. The Corkscrew Museum opened in 1993 to display more than 1,000 corkscrews. It is located on the vineyard of Domaine de la Citadelle in the village of Menerbes, whose name became known to the world through Peter Mayle's 1989 book ``A Year in Provence." Our son-in-law, a wine lover, purchased a case of red wine from this winery and for a week, we had a bottle of wine at every meal at dinner time.
A tennis friend of ours retired to Mornington Peninsula, Australia, about an hour's ride from Melbourne. One year I spent a few days with her at her beautiful home. One of the places she took me to was the Morning Star Estate, established in 1932 by the Franciscan order. It sits on 22 acres of exquisite gardens and 30 acres of vines with a century-old mansion.
One memorable thing about the Morning Star Estate was the profusion of red and white roses along the rows of grapevines. I was told that those roses were not just for esthetic reasons but also serve the purpose of early detection in case of infestation or disease. Evidently roses are even more susceptible to the agents that can sicken the vines. So when the grower checks the health of the rose bushes and finds some insects doing damage, they can do something for the grapevines to protect them from possible disease.
One of our closest friends lives in the San Francisco area. One year we spent four days with them exploring Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, and having a great lunch at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). The head of that institute is our friend's neighbor so we had the privilege of touring its kitchen and seeing the industrial equipment as well as its vast wine collection. Because it was spring, everything in the wine country of California seemed to be appareled in celestial light and it was unreal going from place to place and wine-tasting.
I learned that the first Napa Valley vineyard was planted in 1838. Currently more than 350 wineries are members of Napa Valley Vintners and they sell millions of cases of wine annually, worldwide. Vines were first planted in Sonoma Valley winery in 1812 and now it is home to 60,000 acres of vineyards. The most common varieties planted are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The Sonoma area is also known for its Merlot and Zinfandel, my favorite kind. Statistics show that Californian wines make up 72 percent of the wine consumed in the States.
Some interesting wine facts:
― The first miracle Jesus performed was turning water into wine in Cana.
― Worldwide 20 million acres are for planting grapes.
― There are 10,000 varieties of wine grapes that exist worldwide.
― The first known reference to a specific wine vintage was by the Roman historian, Pliny the Elder, who rated the crop of 121 BC as a vintage ``of the highest excellence."
― Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be legally released until the third Thursday of every November.
As Pope John XXIII said, ``Men are like wine: some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age." Let's try to age well.
Hyon O'Brien, a former reference librarian in the United States, has returned to Korea after 32 years of living abroad. She can be reached at hyonobrien@gmail.com.