A Letter from Chris Suarez
5 LESSONS FROM A WEEKEND OF HARD WORK
This weekend brings with it some stand-out lessons.
A few years back when I bought this property a few of my friends said that I was crazy. “What are you going to do with a vineyard” they asked, “you don’t even drink wine!” I agreed it was a very good question. I disagreed that it actually mattered.
The fact is, I knew nothing about grapes or vines or wine. But I’ve always believed that what we don’t know we can learn - if we want to. I also am convinced that we learn the most when we get completely outside of our skill set, think completely differently, and do new things. So I set about reading some books, talking to some vintners, getting my hands dirty, and then reading some more books.
Today I share a few of they key lessons from this weekend:
Things don’t happen when you expect them to.
Last year I picked the grapes on September 18th. This year I picked them on October 21st - a full month later than the previous year's harvest and later than expected. A late frost in the area caused the buds to be late. The grapes need to reach a certain brix (sugar) level before they can be picked if they are going to make good wine and the longer they stay on the vine, the better chance they have to sweeten. Of course, that is until it starts raining. The rain can ruin your entire crop. I was in the office this afternoon when the rain started. I knew the grapes had to be picked that evening. It wasn’t on schedule or when I expected. It was a month late and an inopportune time, but things don’t happen when you expect them to.
Learn to love work.
During the first pruning season after buying the property my wife realized how much work the vines would be. I remember her laughing about the fact that I left my day job to come home to another job. My answer? I’m a worker. I like to build and create. I like to do something with my time that matters. I don’t mind waking up to work, coming home to work, going to bed thinking about work. And “work” doesn’t just mean my job. Work is art to me. Work is wildly creative. And we find work everywhere. Volunteering is work. Kids are work. So is every relationship we ever had or will have. And then of course there is always plenty of “self-work” to do.
Playing the long game is worth it.
This is my fourth harvest. The previous owner was kind enough to allow me to work with him directly on the first harvest. And yes, he was “paid” with 12 cases of wine. The last three harvests I have done on my own. Wine making is an interesting hobby. The grapes that I took care of four years ago, picked three years ago, and bottled 2 years ago, were finally opened tonight. Of course, you don’t know until you open the bottle whether or not you succeeded. I was happy to see some friends enjoying a bottle of 2020 wine from our vines and based on the hard work I had put in a few years ago. I didn’t have any, but they are good enough friends to be honest and tell me whether it was terrible or in fact enjoyable. It earned “two thumbs up.” I'm pretty sure that’s a real wine connoisseur’s term.
Of course, all the work I put in over the last few years on those 350 bottles of wine from 2020 could have been for nothing. I learn a little bit more every year. And I settle in for the long game every year.
Let go of the outcome.
Remember the 350 bottles of wine sitting in my cellar? That first bottle we opened could have been a disappointment. Truth be told, it didn’t matter to me one way or the other. I had already repeated that work in 2021 without knowing whether or not it would taste good. Of course, I hoped that my friends would enjoy it. If not, it didn’t take away the hard work that went into it. I wasn’t attached to the outcome. I was attached to proving to myself I was willing to do the hard work. I was willing to put in the time. I was willing to learn something and getting better at something. I was willing to enjoy the process of it - and yes, that process was work.
The reward is always sweet.
There is nothing like seeing the reward of your own hard work. It doesn’t matter if that was physical work, mental work, emotional work. Putting in the work and seeing the rewards at the end is always sweet. But it’s only sweet because you put in the sweat. It’s the work that makes the reward so fulfilling. Be willing to work hard always. Be willing to do the hard work whether the end is in sight, or whether the result is guaranteed, or whether you know if you will win or not. Hard work is good for the human mind, and heart, and soul.
As a wrap-up, we can’t always pick our timing or predict when the results will show up. We need to learn to love hard work and enjoy whatever process is necessary in order to reach our goal. We signed up for it - and that means no matter how long it might take to get there. Nothing worth achieving is immediate. At times we will experience small wins along the way confirming we are headed in the right direction, but it often takes years to gain traction and experience the sense of growth and achievement. If we don’t let go of the outcome, I promise we will give up early. Missed expectations is demoralizing and leads to quitting.
2023 will be a year of planting and pruning and work - not a year of harvesting. The industry gave us an incredible harvest over the past few years. It’s time to get back to work and plant and cultivate new vines. These five lessons will serve us well in the market we are all headed into.
Chris