Robert Sinskey Vineyards

Come Together
In Two Acts

Act I
If there were a time to come together, it is now. As I write, there are two weeks to election day, marking the end of the most divisive presidential campaign season in memory. But now, the election is over and it is time to heal. Can disparate ideologies come together or have moderate voices of reason been cast aside by a circus of bickering, obstructionist rhetoric? I hope a chorus of diverse voices can find a positive message to make us stronger and inspire the will to tackle real issues like climate change and environmental degradation.

I was walking through the streets of Portsmouth, New Hampshire the other day when I stumbled on a classic white steepled Unitarian Church, fronted with an inspirational message board. The words are as relevant today as they were fifty years ago:

“We must learn to live together... or perish together as fools.”
Martin Luther King

Disparate voices are what makes this country strong, that is, if those voices come together to embrace difference as unique, yet complimentary, qualities. One of these days, I hope there will be no race but the human race. Then, perhaps we can realize John Lennon’s dream of living together as one.

Act II
I had trouble relating to my conservative father as a teenager. I was a hippie kid with hair to the middle my back. He sported a flat-top buzz cut. Hairstyle aside, we viewed the world from diametric perspectives. I was a romantic and an idealist. He was a pragmatist, hardened by depression and war with no patience for dreamers. I had little patience for rigid thinking. It wasn’t until he was seventy years old that we started to discuss our differences over a glass of wine. We found we actually had more beliefs in common than we realized, they just came from a unique place. I learned to question authority and reject conformity. The reality of his times encouraged conformity and an unquestioning respect for the government. But we both believed in the sanctity of the individual.

It was that glass of wine that brought us together. It provided safe ground for conversation and the social lubricant to encourage us to reveal our inner truths. I always said that if it wasn’t for sharing a glass of wine with my father I would have needed therapy. Instead, I learned to respect his unique story that formed his ideology. We discovered that our differences were our strength. We complimented each other and learned to work together to make our mutual passion for fine wine and Pinot Noir a reality. We came together over a glass of Pinot Noir.

Mother Earth

Root vegetables are rightly associated with winter as they offer the greatest choice when the weather turns harsh. Personally, I think root vegetables deserve attention no matter what the season. Their sweet earthy flavor is a delicious complement to the earthy base notes of a good Pinot Noir, such as RSV’s perfectly balanced Four Vineyards Pinot Noir. The wine’s aromas hint of cranberry, soft summer berries, rose petal and glorious earth. It is not a shy wine. Its beautiful proportions come together from selected lots across four of RSV’s estate Pinot Noir vineyards on the Napa side of the Carneros. The Four Vineyards shines at the dinner table. Open a bottle and try it with roots!

Until the Next Wine....
Maria

EAT: Roasted Root Vegetables with Red Quinoa

Can four vineyards, comprising nine selections (clones and heirlooms) of Pinot Noir, come together to create a great wine? RSV believes diversity creates complexity as each individual voice joins in harmony, adding rich and vibrant layers, to create one impressive wine. Each individual selection is grown, harvested and fermented separately to bring out the expressive qualities of each lot. Then, the wine is blended by taste to create the most balanced, elegant and age-worthy Pinot Noir of the vintage.