By Virginie Boone

“Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living.” – Robert Mondavi

Wine is the great connector, a link to the past, present and future, to history and family roots, a living time capsule that in its most ideal form brings people together.

In Sonoma County growing wine grapes and making wine is a way of life, a form of sustenance, a multigenerational legacy, a way of keeping agriculture vibrant and sustained. It brings people here from around the world to work, learn and enjoy, while our bottles travel near and far to translate our stories to wine drinkers everywhere.

Wine is a path to a better life. It brought thousands of immigrants from Italy here a century ago; today Sonoma County thrives with the input of workers from all over, who come to work in the vineyards, cellars and tasting rooms. It is a thread from grandparent to grandchild, repeated continuously, and from mentor to mentee, a natural transfer of wisdom and knowledge gained over time.

Wine insists we pay attention to our surroundings, from the rivers and streams that replenish a vineyard site to the owls so gifted at pest control. The soils demand to be understood and regenerated while the weather patterns are ingrained and prepared for. Rain is never just rain, it’s a lifeblood, while the amount of sunlight in a day is meticulously counted.

Wine sees that neighbors band together for a common cause, sharing information, resources and equipment. Elders are counseled for memories of how to get by, while younger generations offer a buzz of energy and new ideas.

Wine inspires academic pursuit and simple gatherings; it can invoke great debate or joyful conviviality. It gives excuse to sit face to face and off our phones, to invite people around the table at one’s home, to get out and travel our back roads. It is simultaneously a calling card to other cultures, from baseball to Congress.

This Thanksgiving, raise a glass to all that wine provides to our part of the world, to the complex and compelling way of life that endures.

Image by: Will Bucquoy