The Cycle of Life......

For me (Jan writing now, not Vince… though I’m sure you will be able to figure that our in about two more lines), one of the things I love most about living here is our connection to the land--the soil, the grapes, the seasons, and the ways in which they connect us to the cycle of life. (Is anyone else feeling the urge to sing the theme to the Lion King? VM).

This is the second year we’ve celebrated Mia’s birthday abroad. Last year our Argentine friends asked us if we found a place to have the party, wanted to rent a moonbounce, etc. We said, “What? Are you kidding? She’s only four… we’ll have a fun party in the back yard! All we need are a few kids, a cake and some balloons.” Then, we began to attend Mia’s friends’ parties. We clearly misunderstood Argentine birthday norms. So, this year, we went all out -- depending on who you asked, we probably barely managed to pull off a reasonable facsimile of a birthday party como Mia’s amigos -- complete with a jugador (an entertainer), a giant cake for the 40 + kids in attendance, empanadas, tea sandwiches… and a piñata! I must admit; it was great fun!

This is also our second year to celebrate the harvest in Mendoza. Since the Vines of Mendoza team has grown from about 35 last year to almost 60 this year, it was a huge celebration. We picked about a hectare (just over 2 acres) of grapes in about 10 minutes -- OK, it took a little longer than that, but not much! -- and then enjoyed an asado in the vineyards, prepared by Marcelo our new Chief Financial Officer.

Mia left for home covered in dirt and grape juice, as did many of our staff members. A perfect day!