The Garden

What wonderous life in this I lead!
Ripe apples drop about my head;
The luscious clusters of the vine
Upon my mouth do crush their wine…

Andrew Marvell (1621-78)

“The Garden” is one of my favorite poems. This quote has stuck with me since I first read it some 40-plus years ago. The thought of ripe apples dropping about my head makes me giddy, and please do hand crush those sweet, delicious grapes and let the juice dribble into my mouth!

What does this have to do with our Capa Pinot Noir? The grapes, of course, play a part, but the apples do too. Mainly because they drop on my head not around it, when I’m trying to pick them off the multitude of trees in the vineyard orchard. What better way to harness them than in the recipe that follows?

There’s something about the Capa Vineyard Pinot Noir that embraces the roasted apples and the pleasant heat of the crushed peppercorns frizzled in duck fat. Perhaps it’s the spice and earth notes found in the wine, or its perfume. The recipe is amazing in its simplicity, although you will need to flex your culinary prowess in the butchering of the duck.

And while you’re preening and prepping the duck, think of Marvell’s poetic words of the solitary pleasures of the garden. Revel in the belief that alone, in the garden, a person can truly enjoy what’s best in life: an unhurried, untroubled, sensuous creativity that mirrors the garden’s own.

Until the next wine…
Maria

EAT: Black Pepper Crusted Duck Breast and Braised Legs with Roasted Apples