Hello Customer-Friends,
We start each day by watching the sun creep over the hills and illuminate the sky in various shades from coral to charcoal, or we see the fog that seeps into the myriad crevices and escapes in funnels of mist rising and separating until they disappear, or we peer through a curtain of rain threatening to reclaim the meadow as a wetland. Regardless, it is a magnificent start to the day. In spite of the craziness of the world– or maybe because of it–we feel gratitude for living in this beautiful, peaceful and, importantly, sane corner of Vermont.
We are completing our second year of living with the omnipresent Coronavirus. Who knew that it would become an unwelcome part of our social fabric? Effective vaccines have been developed at a record pace, and their distribution is underway, though not at the rate it should be in the US whose scientists created the two most effective vaccines, and not in most of the rest of the world. Here is a link to an interesting article by Bart Casey, one of our customer-friends, who wrote about the slow adoption of the first vaccine (small pox) and how that disease recurred in waves over the next 275 years until it was eradicated. Two years is nothing.
While CDC mask guidelines have been relaxed, we are still wearing ours in Windham Wines. We have an air purifier running continuously, yet we prefer to be cautious given the tenaciousness of this virus and the potential for long-term effects. We are heeding the advice of infectious disease biologist, Erin Bromage (UMass,Dartmouth), who offers the “cigarette analogy”: “If someone were smoking, would the smell and taste of cigarettes quickly fill the air? If yes, so would the virus. You’d be smart to wear a mask.” Since the shop fills with the smell of stale smoke when someone who was smoking enters, we can say with certainty that if someone actually smoked inside, it would fill with the smell of smoke. In the interest of protecting each other against the unintended consequence of infecting another, we are continuing with the practice of wearing masks while in Windham Wines.
Our virtual tastings remind us how lucky we are to work with these committed winemakers and families. From Lorenzo Peccin at San Martino in Basilicata to Xabi Sanz in Navarra, their dedication to their craft is palpable across thousands of miles and fiber-optics. March virtual tastings celebrate women who own wineries and make wines. This Saturday, March 12th, we will chat with Bàrbara Mesquida Mora of Mallorca. On Saturday, March 26th, we touch down in Sicily to sample some Grillo and Nero d’Avola with Marilena Leta at Gorghi Tondi.
Meanwhile, we continue to taste new wines and find many that we are pleased to bring into the shop. The focus is always small, independent producers farming sustainably, with an eye toward the future. Some of those are listed below.
Frank and I are grateful to you for your support of Windham Wines.
Santé, customer-friends.