Day 750: Rocks, Wine & Women

Nothing like a week at ~7000-10,000 feet of elevation in God’s country to reboot the mind.  A small correction to a previous assertion: D and geology are the best things that ever happened to me.  I’m thinking about turning in my wedding diamond (simple carbon) for an unpolished chunk of granodiorite.  It could serve the dual purpose of knuckle ring, and what an impression that would make.

Rocks are the basis of everything but, more immediately, constitute the underpinnings of my work … and wine (I’m sure you’ve heard of the age-old relationship between geologists and adult beverages).  Mineral-rich rocks weather into mineral-rich soils in which certain grapes are planted to yield regional varietals.  An understanding of this relationship between geology-pedology and wine growing is slowly moving to the forefront of the consumer’s mind, as seen in the increasing number of small-scale vineyards in newer, non-traditional wine-growing areas all over the globe.  For instance, as I recently observed while driving through stream valleys of northwestern Colorado, western Wyoming and volcaniclastic-rich regions of Idaho, the United States, outside of California, too, has come a long way in wine growing just in the last ten years.

My cousin, Dini Rao, a wine consultant and writer for Women & Wine, will have a piece appearing shortly on the rocks/soils of France which grow Champagne grapes.  [See an older piece by Dini on the Loire Valley.]  Our respective lines of work had never converged until she asked me to edit the article for technical faults, which was actually very nicely written for someone who has never taken Rocks For Jocks.  Hmmm, besides being her geological consultant, perhaps Dini and I can go on an educational tour combining Wine For Dummies and Geology 101. 

Closer to home, our very own NOLA Cleophatra and her creation, Women & Wine On Wednesdays (third Wednesday of every month), have been recognized by New Orleans Magazine’s People To Watch 2007.  Congratulations, girl!