CABERNET ZIN (Cabernet Zin Wine Country) (32 page)

Frank nudged Zack while they looked across the room for a seat, “Most of us are over at those tables, if you want to join us. The bar is over there. These are usually pretty tame meetings so I’d advise the stop at the bar.”

“Thanks for the hint, Frank,” Claire said, pulling Zack with her in the direction of the bar. Zack loved the feeling of her fingers laced with his. The bar had a selection of wines from the whole valley, each winery donating an allotment to share.

“What winery are you from, sir?” the pretty blond behind the bar asked.

“Amber Mountain.”

She leaned forward, “We’re all out of the Amber Mountain wines already.” She pointed to cases filled with empty and abused bottles, “Most of the winery attendees requested your wines. At least the early arrivals did, when we ran out the others reluctantly made choices from what remained.”

“Really?” Claire glanced across the room.

“I had a sip to see what the talk was all about, and well; you’ve got fantastic wine, especially that bottle of Zack’s Blend.”

“Thanks.”

Claire pushed her fingertip into Zack’s bicep and whispered to the bar tender, “This is Zack.”

“
The
Zack?” Her eyebrows rose. “Your wine is all the other wine makers can talk about. You did impressive work.”

Zack smiled, picking up the glass, “I appreciate the kind words.”

She winked, “I poured you the last of a bottle I hid behind the counter.”

Zack whispered, “Look me up at the winery and I’ll get you a replacement.”

Claire and Zack took their seats and the program started.

The evening progressed through updates by industry specialists on the global and United States wine industry and other competing beverages. They discussed the general economic malaise still engulfing the country and expectations for the coming year. A pair of specialists in wine regulation that worked with government political special interest group promotions showed details of the current bills and political supporter interests. A few marketing companies went through their proposals. Local and general California agricultural leaders revealed how they protected the valley against expected pests and placed monitoring stations throughout the local vineyards. A short break and then everyone returned to hear the list of awards that the wineries in the valley had accumulated.

“While we are all competitors locally for anyone coming out of Los Angeles or San Diego for a day trip to wine country, we are also a team attracting visitors from the rest of California and the nation. Our recent recognition of our collective regional wines, and Amber Mountain’s specifically, has been an amazing thing to watch. We’ve all spent years growing our local industry from a few garages and hobby farms into our current mix of nearly forty wineries. One of our own has achieved recognition by the esteemed wine publication and reviewer Roban Oerder from
Wine Appraisal Journal
. Martin Ginter is accepting our award for Most Valuable Player this year.” He waved to Martin to come up. “Since I’ve seen the sales numbers for the whole valley, that each of you contributed, I can say that not only have Amber Mountain sales increased, but all the wineries in the Valley are experiencing surging sales. This one fortunate batch of wine woke up the world to the great work everyone is doing making wine in this Southern California valley.”

Martin took the podium, “We have good wines. As good as any in this group. It wasn’t until we were making blending selections that one of our investors, Zack Steel, came up with the actual mix. Amazing. Surprised even our moonlighting wine maker who does work at several of your wineries in this valley as well as Napa and Europe. Zack has the magical palate of good taste.” Martin raised his wineglass to Zack.

Rutger gripped Zack’s lapel and pulled him to his feet, “We want you to make a speech.”

“Why me?”

Rutger whispered, “All of our financial success is your blend, your passion for wine kept us together.”

Martin stepped aside as Zack stood before the group and said, “This is overwhelming. We were a winery on the edge of insolvency, considering further capital calls to keep running, and now we just might make it. All because inspiration came into our careful wine crafting and blending.” Zack’s eyes fixed on Claire’s, the beauty and warmth in the expression on her face caused his heart to dance in the space between them. He held his glass up to toast. “Capturing beauty in the bottle takes opening yourself to being captivated by other beauty in the real world.” The room of people faded away from the sharp light between Zack and Claire, he knew he held his glass for her. “You must urge greatness all along the wine making process. Careful crafting that lets the wine’s inherent beauty blush with your discovery while the wine becomes a part of your soul. It’s inescapable.” Zack took a sip of his wine, his eyes caressed Claire’s. “Wine can be serious or cause us comedy while we fumble in the dark –” nervous laughs sprinkled out from the audience. “Balancing flavor notes, we urge these grapes to live, to dream, and to hope they somehow make their mark on the world. So drink up – and see what we craft next year!” Zack gulped the last of his wine. The valley winery owners and their families stood and cheered for Zack, but only one smile mattered. Claire’s lips broadened, irresistibly curling their corners while her eyes sparkled at him. His chest churned full of love for her. He made the wine from the beauty she sketched upon his soul.

January

“This is a nice place,” Rutger said politely, standing on the driveway looking over the house. He rested the heavy buckets filled with water and slivers of vine-wood on the ground, as if his arms stretched carrying them from the pickup parked at the road. “You said you bought this place?”

Zack shrugged, “Yeah, it’s not much. But the back yard is big enough I can start this little vineyard.”

“How much land is here? You didn’t spend much, right?” Rutger wrinkled his nose.

“Five acres with the house. Down payment cost the last of my savings and the rest is on a land contract. The owner was glad to sell as he said I was the first renter he had here that paid on time, or at all. He was tired of repainting every couple of months.”

Martin set down the buckets he carried, “This is a great little place, Zack. Even if it’s a little ragged and project inducing.” He laughed.

Zack kicked at the dirt, “The place has really low overhead. Fortunately, Claire doesn’t mind partial construction. We’ll fix it up over time.”

“I’m sure you can,” said Martin, “You’ll want to get these grafts into the ground soon though.”

Noah looked in the buckets, “What are the sticks? You said grafts? Of what?”

Zack said, “Martin and Rutger are giving us a nice present. We’re growing the same grafts at the winery. The same grapes that garnered us all those awards.”

“Zack, the plants are a house warming gift.” Martin said, “That’s the least we can do. Your wine is making us solvent. I worried we might have to close up this year or next. Now the future looks bright and we owe it all to your good taste!” Martin put his hand out to Zack.

Zack shook his hand, “Thanks Martin. A lot of other people went into making that wine –”

Rutger shook Zack’s hand, “But you put the last pieces in the right places. Victor and Walter did all the grafting at home watching television from the trim scraps held in cold storage. You’ll want to get the grafts in the ground soon. Are you kids helping your father plant these?”

Noah stood straight, “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Rutger tousled Noah’s head and turned with Martin back to the pickup.

“Be sure and thank Victor and Walter for me. I tried grafting once and it’s a difficult job.” Martin nodded and waved. Zack watched them pull away then said as he picked up a pair of buckets, “Noah, go get Grace, we’re going to play in the big sandbox out back.”

Zack set the buckets next to the first of the rows of empty trellises he had erected the previous week. The poles speared straight into the soil and held taught wires that Claire had strung with him. The trellis waited for the vines that Zack would plant.

He pressed his spade into the soil and bent it back, “Grace, push the plant down like I showed you. Good. Now Noah sprinkle it with water.” Zack pressed the soil tight around the graft.

“Dad, this is fun!” said Grace, covered in mud and grime before they reached the third plant. Noah ran for water. Zack watched them helping him, “That’s perfect Grace, just like that. It’s fun for me to have you here. These will grow up here just like the two of you.”

They planted a good portion of the first block. Zack suggested, “Why don’t you two get water for yourselves and then play in the yard? I can finish.”

Noah said, “We’ll be done soon.”

“Then when do we get grapes?” Grace asked, rubbing her hands across her previously-orange-but-now-mostly-brown shirt.

“It will be several years.”

“Oh.”

Noah asked, “I’ll be ten?”

“Just about.”

“Dad?”

“Yes, Grace?”

“Can I play now?”

“Sure. You two helped me a lot. Stay where I can see you though.”

“Sure, Dad,” yelled Noah as the two children ran across the field back to the rear of the house and the little sandbox with the toy trucks abandoned by a little boy that lived here once. A pair of new bikes stood parked in the breezeway, helmets dangling at their handlebars from their ride yesterday.

Zack finished planting the vineyard block. He hooked the garden hose between the house and the irrigation header. He spun open the faucet and listened for the hiss of water rushing out then seeping out of the hose at a slow rate and set the timer. “Kids! We have to get our showers. No messing around – we have to be on time for the wedding.”

-:-:-:-O-:-:-:-

Claire adjusted the antique white dress across her chest and smoothed the pleats below the lace bodice that hugged her body and flared at her hips. Sadness crept in wishing her father were here, but Joan and Leiko harried and fussed enough to pull her from her thoughts. Tyler stood by the window overlooking the winery tasting room, now converted into the reception hall. When his eyes adjusted to the brightness flooding the large windows, he focused further beyond the walls where the flower filled marriage arch stood at the far end of the reflecting pools. He wiggled in his tuxedo, his normally wild surfer haircut pulled back in a tight pony tail, “I see people arriving and finding chairs. Is Zack here yet?”

Leiko said, “Not yet. Rutger will phone me when Zack gets here. He’ll be here.”

“Thank you, Leiko,” Claire knew that Leiko gave that affirmation from a friend to a friend, even a friend still hurting from the open wound left by Alfanjo. Claire triple-checked all her things. Her shoes matched the height of the dress; she had her borrowed, old, and blue trinkets. Joan dithered with her hair. Claire said, “Joan, it looks great.”

“I don’t know. A few loose hairs won't cooperate.”

Claire looked close in the mirror. “Those are not a problem.” She smoothed them down and they stayed.

“These are really shiny shoes,” Tyler said, picking his feet up and putting them down.

Joan asked, “Did they get more shine while you were standing there? Or are you nervous?”

“It’s my first time being in a wedding – yeah, I’m nervous.”

Joan pressed her lips together for a moment, “I guess you did miss being in my wedding.”

“I woke up late and couldn’t get out of the house in time and then I didn’t want to stomp through the middle of the ceremony.”

Claire said, “You probably could have come and waited outside.”

“– Instead of going surfing the rest of the day.”

“The water was so blue, killer waves, and …” his voice trailed off, he turned from the window to look at Joan, “Joan, I’m sorry. I had run out of money and didn’t have anything left to rent the tuxedo.”

“You could have asked us for help,” said Claire.

Joan said, “I wouldn’t have cared if you showed up in your shorts and flip-flops.”

“I was embarrassed to explain it.” Tyler stood a little straighter, “This time I saved enough money in my little account. I didn’t know when Claire would get married but I made sure I had enough for the tux.”

Claire started crying, “Come here Tyler.” She hugged him, not worrying about how her makeup might melt. She knew in a few minutes she would care but she hugged her brother tight. “That is a real gift.”

Joan hugged Tyler and said, “You should have told me years ago.”

Tyler took a deep breath and blinked rapidly, “I see the Minister – I should go down and take my place. Zack is a great person. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, Tyler.” Claire turned to the mirror as he left and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

Leiko whispered, “He’s here. You’re up soon.” She picked up her things and handed Claire her bouquet. “This is like a spy thriller! Rutger said Zack is now across the hall and out on the patio getting to his position.”

“It’s that English accent of his.”